Scarab Eclipse
by Wrathnar the Unreasonable
Summary: Two relic smugglers crash in the Egyptian desert and stumble upon the lost subterranean temple of Nyarlathotep, setting off a chain of events that lead to a war between two factions of Elder Gods, with humanity caught in between.
1. Chapter 1

_I'm writing a Cthulhu mythos novel ( 50,000 words so far ) based on what might happen if HPL's transcosmic horrors emerged from the shadows and went global. I'm using modern characters and a modern style - please let me know if you think it works! HPL's mythos characters don't come into the narrative immediately - the first explicit mention ( a shoggoth ) is in chapter three. I'll just post the first chapter for now ( 4,000 words ) - I may post more if anyone's interested in reading it._

**Warning: some strong language**

Scarab Eclipse

Chapter One

The thieves were halfway across the desert when the offside front tyre blew. At the speed Vinnie was driving, they never stood a chance; he spun the wheel, trying to keep the truck from slewing sideways. Bo braced himself as the truck rolled, but it was no use. He was flung around the cab as glass shattered and metal screeched. Then it was over, and sudden silence roared.

Bo's body hurt all over. He was wedged in a corner, completely disoriented - he couldn't even tell which way was up. He heard a groan, but didn't know whether it came from Vinnie or himself. Blood dripped from his head onto his knee: so, at least he was the right way up. For some reason the thought struck him as hilarious and he burst out laughing.

"What's so fuckin funny?"

He looked up and saw Vinnie on the driver's side of the cab, wedged into the foot-well; he _was_ upside down. Bo howled with laughter.

A single unbroken headlight illuminated the dust hanging in the air as they hauled themselves out through the hole where the windscreen used to be. The truck lay on its side. It was totalled.

"We're fucked," Vinnie observed. "And stop giggling, butthole."

"I think I'm concussed, or in shock or somethin," Bo told him. "At least neither of us is seriously injured. I guess it could have been a lot worse."

"_Worse_? We're stranded in the middle of the fuckin desert, dude. We're gonna _die_."

They were almost two hundred miles west of El-Gidida; it was another hundred miles or so across the Egypt/Libya border to Al-Taj, where their contact would be waiting.

Bo wiped blood from his forehead. He could feel a small cut on his scalp. Vinnie didn't appear to be injured at all. He looked at the truck and wondered what the hell they were gonna do now. "We need help," he told Vinnie. "Didn't I tell you we shoulda had a radio set?"

"Yeah, and I said it's a blag, not a fuckin expedition."

It had been a crime of opportunity. No time to think it through, or to get properly equipped. They had originally planned to join a dig, and each steal some small, easily carried relics which they would smuggle over the border. When they found themselves with the chance to steal a whole truckload of relics, they went for it and drove flat-out into the desert, hoping to get a good head start before the theft was discovered.

Bo realised they were in big trouble.

"Maybe they'll catch up with us. Better busted than dead," he suggested.

"Yeah? You wanna spend the rest of your life in an Egyptian prison? I'd rather take my chances with the desert. A hundred miles ain't so far. We could walk it in two days if we go non-stop. The heat will probably kill us, though."

After a couple of hours' walking, Bo's arms were agonised from carrying the jerry can of water, and the sky had turned the deep blue of false dawn. He was dreading the heat of the day. He switched hands again.

"Hey, wait up," he called to Vinnie, who had got so far ahead that he could barely see the glow of his flashlight. Vinnie waited. When Bo caught up with him, he suggested that they take a swig of water. It was his can's turn; they had agreed to alternate drinking from each can, so that both would be equally reduced in weight, and that each would only take a drink when the other did, so that they wouldn't be tempted to drink too much - they had to make the water last.

"Better save it till we're desperate," Vinnie said. "We have a long way to go, and we'll be needin to drink more often after the sun comes up."

"I can't carry this damn thing much longer," Bo complained, "my arms are goin numb."

"Then we're gonna die, ya pussy-ass bitch."

"This was such a great idea you had. Easy money, you said."

"Bo," Vinnie said in a serious tone of voice, "I didn't force you to come. It was your decision whether you did or not, so you gotta take equal responsibility and stop whinin. If you don't, we're not gonna make it. We gotta keep a positive attitude if we're gonna survive."

Bo picked up his can and walked on.

"You're goin the wrong way, dumbass." He looked back to see Vinnie shining the flashlight onto his compass. He pointed to the right. "West is that way."

"Vinnie, I'm gonna drink some water," Bo gasped. "I'm not askin you, I'm tellin you." The heat was killing him.

"Can you wait till we get over this rise?" Vinnie replied, pointing to the low hill ahead. "Maybe there'll be some shade where we can rest for a while." So far, the desert had been flat and featureless. It was stony, rather than sandy, which was lucky for them since walking on sand would have been slower, and would have sapped their strength. Bo looked at the hill, which seemed to be no more than a slight rise in the ground, probably as shadeless on the far side as it was on this side. "Or maybe we'll see somewhere there might be shelter from the sun once we get to the top."

Bo was too exhausted to argue.

The upward slope, although far from steep, seemed to make the jerry can weigh twice as much. He wanted to take a big drink out of it, if only to make the damn thing lighter. As they crested the hill, a surprising sight met their eyes.

It was a compound of some kind: a long strip of tarmac with six buildings along one side. There were three large hangars, one medium sized, single storey cinderblock building and two smaller ones, one of which had a radio mast on its roof. The whole place was surrounded by a chainlink fence, topped with coils of razorwire.

"It must be a military base," Vinnie said. "That's a runway there."

"It looks deserted. If it's disused, we could shelter here and wait for nightfall."

"Could be. Maybe we'll find somethin we can use, like some kinda vehicle. Doubt they'd have left anythin behind, though."

They walked up to the fence.

"How are we gonna get over?" Bo asked.

"Not a problem. I know a trick with this shit."

Bo watched as Vinnie pinched a square of wire and squashed it, then spread it again. Looking more closely, he saw that the fence was made of interlinked zigzag strands of thick wire. Vinnie was repeatedly bending and straightening a ninety-degree bend in one of the wires: one-eighty degrees, zero degrees and back again. After a short while, the wire broke.

"Metal fatigue," Vinnie explained. He then proceeded to unweave the strand, opening a vertical gap in the fence.

"Awesome, dude," Bo said as Vinnie stepped through and motioned him to follow.

Bo had just stepped through when Vinnie said: "Oh fuck!"

A huge dog was racing towards them. It was twice the size of a Rottweiler, black and powerfully built. Vinnie drew his 9mm automatic, knelt and took aim. He waited for the dog to get closer.

There was something wrong with the dog; it seemed to have too many eyes. Vinnie let off a shot, and hit the thing in the head. Blood sprayed, but the dog didn't even slow down. Vinnie let off two more shots. One hit the dog's head again, and the other ripped into its shoulder, but it kept coming. Bo had drawn his pistol, but was too mesmerised by what he was seeing to shoot.

The dog - if it was a dog - had eyes all over the front of its head. At the sides and top, the eyes became smaller, like beady spider-eyes. But that wasn't the worst. The beast's gaping mouth was full of long, narrow needles, like the teeth of one of those nightmare fish from the deepest ocean abysses.

Vinnie emptied his entire fifteen-round clip into the creature as it closed with him. He fell onto his back and tried to kick at it as it barrelled into him. The needle teeth closed on his thigh and he screamed.

Bo unfroze, stepped towards him and emptied his clip into the creature's skull at point-blank range. It continued to chew into Vinnie's leg as he ejected the magazine and reloaded. The thing's blood was blueish purple; it sprayed everywhere as he emptied the second clip into the creature's head, which came apart, revealing a squirming mass of transparent tubes, like see-through spaghetti, which gave off a nauseating stench. The beast's body spasmed, then lay still. Bo prised the jaws out of Vinnie's leg. He was bleeding badly, but the blood wasn't spurting; Bo hoped that the needle teeth hadn't pierced the femoral artery. He reloaded with his last spare clip, dragged Vinnie to his feet and held him up as they stumbled back towards the hole in the fence.

"Wait!" Vinnie held his hand up, and looked around. "You hear anythin?"

"Not a damn thing, why?"

"This place must be deserted, then. Otherwise, all that gunfire would have brought the troops runnin. Must be no-one here, apart from that fuckin dog."

"Dude, that wasn't any fuckin _dog_. I don't know what the fuck it was, and I don't care. I just wanna get the fuck outta here."

"And go where? We ain't gonna make it with me in this state. We need to shelter from the sun, and get some kinda dressin on my befucked leg."

"If there's no-one here, who's been feedin that . . . animal?"

"Well, me, for a start," Vinnie said, grimacing at his bloody leg. They both cracked up laughing.

They couldn't get into any of the cinderblock buildings, which had neither doors nor windows. As the sun was now directly overhead, the walls didn't provide any shade. They hobbled over to the nearest of the hangars, Bo propping Vinnie up while his injured leg dragged uselessly. The side of the hangar facing the runway had a pair of huge doors, but there was no obvious way of opening them. They decided to circle the building, in the hope of finding another way in. The side of the hangar was featureless, as was the rear, but as they made their way up the far side, they spotted a hole in the side wall of the neighbouring hangar. The metal looked chewed.

"I reckon that's where the dog-thing came from," Bo said. "I guess it was supposed to stay inside, guardin the place in case anyone cut their way in."

"You first, then."

"Suck my balls, I ain't goin in there!"

"Dude, we gotta go somewhere, this sun is gonna kill us otherwise. Anyway, we killed the fuckin dog, didn't we?"

Bo drew his pistol and poked it through the hole, then followed it with his head. There was a foul smell which he couldn't immediately identify; then he realised it was the same stink that had come from the dog-thing's exploded head. It was pitch dark inside the hangar; he couldn't see a damn thing.

"Hand me the flash, dude."

He shone the flashlight around. There was a single large vehicle inside the hangar, a bulbous, shiny black shape which stood on six legs. It looked like a landing craft from a science fiction movie. He listened, and heard nothing. He drew back out.

"There's somethin in there, some kinda flyin machine, I reckon," he told Vinnie.

"Gimme the flash. You go fetch the water." Vinnie crawled into the hole, his injured leg dragging.

Bo got the jerry cans from where they'd left them by the fence, trying to avoid looking at the corpse of the dog-monster, and returned to the hangar. He crawled inside to find Vinnie sitting with his back to the wall, shining the flashlight over the glossy black surface of the huge vehicle.

"What makes you think it's a flyin machine?" he asked Bo.

"Well, it doesn't have wheels, and it ain't likely to be a boat. What else could it be? The legs remind me of the lunar landin module, you know?"

"Yeah, very VTOL. So why do they need a runway?"

"To fly stuff in, I guess." Bo uncapped one of the jerry cans and tipped it to pour water into the cap, which doubled as a cup. He drank, but the water was too warm and stale tasting to quench his thirst. He refilled the cup and handed it to Vinnie. "How's the leg, dude?"

"Fucked. You wanna take a look at it for me?"

"Guess I'd better. Pull your pants down."

Vinnie grinned. "I thought you'd never ask."

"Gaywad." He examined the wound. There were many short, but presumably deep, cuts. They had stopped bleeding, but he didn't like the way the skin around them was swollen. It looked like the cuts could be infected.

"What do you think?" Vinnie asked.

"Dunno, I ain't a fuckin doctor. I guess we oughta put a bandage on it."

"Where we gonna get a bandage, dumbass?"

"We can use your pants leg." Bo pulled out his pocket knife and cut the torn and bloody pants leg off, wrapped it around Vinnie's thigh and tried to think how to fasten it.

"Here." Vinnie passed him the ID badge he'd still had pinned to his shirt pocket, and pointed at Bo's. They'd been given them when they'd started work at the dig. Bo removed the clasps and pinned the makeshift bandage tight around Vinnie's leg.

"Pour me another cup of water," Vinnie asked. Bo did so, then stood.

"I'm gonna take a look around. Gimme the flash."

Bo walked towards the front of the hangar. It struck him that the floor was strangely clean. He'd been in aircraft hangars before; the floors were grubby, and all kinds of equipment, tools and other odds-and-ends were stacked against the walls. Here, there was nothing; only the shiny black craft itself.

As he came around to the front of the thing, he was surprised to see that the pilot's cabin looked almost like the head of a giant beetle. It seemed to be styled to resemble a scarab. Very Egyptian. He checked either side of the hangar doors, but couldn't find any controls for opening them. He completed his circuit of the hangar and returned to Vinnie.

"Find anythin interestin?" Vinnie asked.

"Not a damn thing. How you feelin?"

"Kinda bushed. You mind if I crash for a while?"

"Go ahead. I'll keep watch."

Bo found himself being shaken awake. He had dozed off.

"Bo, you gotta take the bandage off, quick. I tried, but my fingers have gone kinda clumsy. It hurts like fuck, gotta take the pressure off."

Vinnie shone the flash on the improvised bandage, which was lumpy with the swelling beneath it. As Bo uncovered the wound, the lumps sprang up, quivering. Toadstools were growing out of Vinnie's leg.

"Fuck, dude." He looked at Vinnie's face. It had gone white. Vinnie leaned to one side and vomited. As he did so, the light swung away, and in the darkness Bo saw that the undersides of the toadstools' caps were glowing with an eye-boggling blueish purple light. He opened the blade of his pocket-knife, bent one of the toadstools over and cut into its stalk. Vinnie screamed. He stopped cutting.

"Dude," Vinnie wheezed, "whatever you just did, don't do it any more, okay?"

Bo closed the knife, stood, and put it back in his pants pocket.

"Sit tight," he told Vinnie, "I'm gonna take a look outside, see where the sun is. I wanna get the fuck outta here, soon as the heat lets up a bit."

He crawled out of the hole, relieved to get away from the horror of Vinnie's leg. He couldn't see the sun from where he stood between the hangars, but the light was still bright and the heat was intense. He walked out from the space between the hangars, and saw that the sun was well into the west, and would be low enough in an hour or so to take the worst of the heat out of it. He looked up and down the runway, not looking for anything in particular, but reluctant to return to the hangar. He had never seen anything like those things growing on Vinnie's wound; well, he had seen toadstools, but not growing out of anybody's leg. The fungal growths scared him even worse than the creature whose bite had caused the infection. He had to get Vinnie out of there, get him to a hospital. The heat-baked silence of the installation added to his feeling of unreality.

"This is pretty fucked up right here," he said aloud, then turned to walk back to the hole the dog-thing had chewed in the hangar's wall.

"This is like some kinda Egyptian Area Fifty-one," Vinnie said as Bo poured him a cup of water. "That weren't no Earth dog. The fucker's infected me with space-fungus."

"Could be bio-engineered," Bo argued. He totally didn't want it to be aliens, fuck no. "There must be any amount of secret genetic engineerin projects goin on in the world."

"What about that?" Vinnie gestured towards the scarab-thing. "That looks like some kinda spacecraft to me."

Bo looked at his face. There were dark circles around his eyes, and his neck was puffed out, like his glands were swollen. He seemed to be deteriorating rapidly. Bo feared he wouldn't last long enough to reach a hospital.

"I don't even wanna know. I just wanna get away from this fuckhole."

"Do you reckon we could find a way into that thing? Maybe we could fly outta here."

"Fuck, dude, neither of us would know how to fly a regular plane, let alone some kinda advanced black project shit. We walk to Al-Taj, then we get you to a hospital."

"If I last that long."

"Dude . . ." Bo didn't know what to say to that. The full realisation that Vinnie really might die hit him. He felt a lump in his throat. He was overwhelmed by the strangeness of their situation, and finding it increasingly difficult to cope with. He and Vinnie had been best buddies since grade school; they had always been a team, and Vinnie had always been the leader. It struck Bo now that he'd be lost without him. "You gotta last out, motherfucker, otherwise who's gonna boss me around?" His voice was a bit choked.

Vinnie seemed embarrassed by this display of naked emotion. He changed the subject. "You reckon it's about time to go by now?"

"Yeah, fuck, let's get the hell outta Dodge."

They'd been drinking from just one of the jerry cans, and had poured some of its contents into the other can, so that it would be light enough for Vinnie to carry. Bo carried the full one in the arm he wasn't using to prop Vinnie up, and they lurched towards the hole in the fence, keeping well away from the dead creature. They both knew they didn't stand much chance of making it to Al-Taj at the pathetically slow pace that was all they could manage, but what else could they do? There was nothing to stay here for.

"Oh, shit," Vinnie said.

"What now?"

He pointed towards the east. The eastern sky had taken on a yellow tinge, and there was a low wall of brown cloud on the horizon. A sandstorm.

"Looks like we ain't goin anywhere for a while," Vinnie said. He sounded relieved.

The wind howled insanely outside the hangar. They had moved further along the wall, away from the puddle of vomit and the hole where fine dust was blowing in. With the flashlight switched off to save the batteries, the glow from the fungi on Vinnie's leg showed up, imperfectly obscured by the pants-leg draped over them. That blue-purple glow gave Bo the shivering horrors.

He was extremely hungry now, although Vinnie said he had no appetite - not a good sign. They had designated one corner of the hangar as a latrine. Bo knew that sandstorms could blow out as quickly as they came, or they could continue for days. Their situation was looking increasingly bleak.

Bo tried to sleep, but found it impossible.

"Fuck it," he said after a long while, "I'm gonna see if I can find a way into that thing." Vinnie didn't reply; he'd fallen asleep again. Bo switched on the flashlight and stepped between the legs of the vehicle. He was able to stand upright beneath it; its belly was just over a foot above his head. He shone the light over it, looking for a hatch. There was nothing. What he did find, though, was a hatch in the floor. There was a strangely-shaped handle. He pushed, pulled and twisted it, but it didn't budge. He felt a small ridge on the underside of the handle, which seemed to give a little as his finger pressed against it. He found that it could be twisted through a hundred and eighty degrees, at which point it gave a loud click and the handle rose up about four inches. He tried twisting it again, and this time it moved. After three complete rotations, the hatch dropped away with a hiss of hydraulics. He nearly fell in, as he'd been kneeling partly on the hatch. He shone the light into the hole and saw concrete steps going down as far as the light would reach. He rushed back over to Vinnie and shook him awake.

"Dude! I found somethin!"

Vinnie's eyes opened. Bo recoiled from their blue-purple glow.

"What? What's wrong?"

"Nothin's wrong," Bo lied. "I found a hatch. There's steps goin down-"

"Why did you look at me like that? Don't lie to me, dude."

"I thought I saw . . . well, it was like your eyes were glowin, but it must have been a reflection. This damn place has me strung pretty tight, you know?"

Vinnie gave him one of his Looks, the one which said 'I know you're bullshittin me'.

Bo changed the subject. "You gotta come take a look. There could be somethin down there we can use."

He helped Vinnie to stand, and they hobbled over to the hatch. Bo shone the flash down the steps.

"You really wanna go down there?" Vinnie asked. "What if there's another space-dog?"

"Well, there's nothin up here, and we ain't goin anywhere else for a while at least. And I reckon if there was another dog-thing, it would already be chewin on us. Anyway, we still got three full clips between us. Dude, we got nowhere else to go! I figure there must be a tunnel that leads to the other buildins, since they got no doors. There could be stores, you know? Rations? Maybe some kinda medical kit? Gotta be worth a look-see."

"Okay. But you might as well leave me up here unless you find somethin. I'm kinda whacked, dude."

No way was Bo going down there on his own.

"What's up here, anyway? Shit, we both know we ain't gonna make it to Al-Taj, sandstorm or no sandstorm. We gotta hope there's somethin down there, cos it's the only option we got right now."

"Fuck. Get the water, then." 


	2. Chapter 2

_To begin with, the story alternates between two timelines. Even-numbered chapters recount earlier events._

**Chapter Two**

Penny watched the muscles ripple across the backs of the two Americans who had joined the dig earlier that morning. They certainly seemed to be enthusiastic workers. They were sweating in the heat, and dust was sticking to the sweat. There was an ablutions trailer over by the on-site accommodation; she imagined following them into the showers and offering to scrub their backs, running her hands over their muscles all slippery with soap . . .

Stop it, you sex-crazed hussy, she thought. Is there something wrong with me, or are other girls my age equally oversexed? She was twenty-four, and had recently graduated with honours from Cambridge. Her father had been so proud. He'd been delighted that she'd chosen archaeology as her major. Archaeology and his daughter were his entire world; her mother had died in childbirth, and he had never remarried. But she hadn't chosen archaeology just to please him; she was genuinely fascinated by the subject. Perhaps her name had something to do with that: Setepenra Templegate. Setepenra had been the youngest daughter of Queen Nefertiti, the 'Perfect One', wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten. And her father often joked that 'Templegate' was a perfect name for an archaeologist.

She forced herself to tear her gaze away from the two young men, and stepped into the shade of the marquee where her father and two of his postgrads were sorting pottery fragments at one of the rows of benches.

"Found any bits that fit together?" she asked him.

Professor Templegate looked up from his work and smiled, which made his weather-beaten face look ten years younger. "Not yet. How's the new trench going?"

Penny laughed. "If we'd found anything worth mentioning, I'd have mentioned. I was wondering if you'd like to stop for lunch?"

"Good heavens, is it one o'clock already?" Her father gaped at his watch. "Tempus certainly does fugit. Yes, I suppose we can stop for lunch."

The postgrads gave Penny grateful looks.

Nearly all the tables in the refectory marquee were occupied; lunch was served from noon until two, and people were arriving as fast as others were leaving. The stiflingly hot air was loud with conversation, shouted greetings and laughter. As usual, the Egyptian workers sat apart from the Europeans, either eating in silence or occasionally erupting in furious argument.

The four of them joined the queue. The two postgrads were self-conscious and awkward in Penny's presence. Her father's male students always seemed to develop crushes on Penny. She was a very attractive young woman; pale-skinned with long, slightly curly black hair, green eyes, full lips and a very well-proportioned figure which she disguised as much as possible with her practical dress: desert boots, combat trousers, a loose white shirt. Somehow, that made her look even sexier.

The postgrads were very academic-looking; geeky ubernerds with thick glasses and bad hair. As Penny pushed her tray along the counter, her mind's eye pictured the two Americans she'd been watching earlier. They had claimed to be gap-year students - media studies, not a proper subject in Penny's opinion - who had run out of money and needed to earn the price of a flight home. Although they had no archaeological skills, and the dig was fully staffed, her father had taken them on as general labourers. Penny didn't think they looked like students; there was something a little disreputable about them, which made them rather fascinating. Another fascinating thing about them was the way they worked together. Penny had noticed that if one of them needed a particular piece of equipment, the other would pass it over without being asked. They also seemed to be able to communicate by facial expressions. Their friendship must go back a long way; it made Penny feel a bit envious. She had already decided that the one she fancied most was Beauregarde, the sandy-haired one with blue eyes. Vincent, dark-haired and brown-eyed, was attractive too, and seemed to be the dominant one, but Beauregarde had an easy-going quality that gave him extra appeal. But was that appeal purely physical? Penny wanted a man who was intelligent and shared her interests. Sexy as Beauregarde might be, she doubted that he had much interest in archaeology. Last year she had met a guy who seemed perfect, like a younger Indiana Jones. She had waited in vain for him to ask her out, and had finally summoned the nerve to invite him out herself for a meal and a drink. Over dinner, he had dropped a bombshell. Of course, he had been too good to be true: devilishly handsome, tall and muscular; devastatingly intelligent, caring and thoughtful . . . and entirely gay.

Her father nudged her, and she realised that the woman serving behind the counter was waiting for her to order.

"I'll have two eggs, two rashers, a sausage, chips, beans and mushrooms."

The woman raised her eyebrows. People were always surprised by Penny's prodigious appetite; she really ought to weigh at least twenty stone. She noticed that the postgrads were both having couscous salad - bleah.

The postgrads went to sit with a group of fellow students; Penny and her father found a table to themselves, next to the Egyptians' tables.

"David called," the Professor said. "He should be arriving some time this afternoon with the new survey system."

Penny swallowed a mouthful of food. "I meant to look at his website, but I got sidetracked. What does this new system do, exactly?"

"You know it gives deeper, more detailed images of underground structures?"

"Oh yeah, I got that. But how does it work? Without getting too technical."

"Basically-"

"Basically is good."

" -it combines geomagnetic survey with ground penetrating radar and echo-location. Shockwave generators - like miniature piledrivers - are placed around the survey area, along with vibration detectors. The data from them is combined with data from the geomagnetic and radar scanners. It's the software that's the real innovation. It will give us a three-dimensional image of the survey area to a depth of about fifteen metres, with exceptional resolution and additional information based on density, moisture and so on."

"So, we'll know exactly where to excavate."

"Yes." The professor smiled. "It's tremendously exciting."

{{{}}}

"David! Better late than never, eh?" Professor Templegate shook his friend's hand. "You look absolutely exhausted, old chap."

David Matthews shifted his grip on his laptop case. "It's been a bloody nightmare. Terrorists, they thought we were. Bloody terrorists wouldn't be blatantly bringing weapons through customs! You'd think they'd be familiar with archaeological equipment in bloody Egypt, wouldn't you?"

"Come to my trailer and have a bracer. James will supervise the unloading." James Spencer was Templegate's site manager. "I must say we're tremendously excited about this new system of yours. I can't wait to see it in action."

Insects fluttered around the tall lamps widely spaced along the dirt track leading towards the rear of the site. Apart from the occasional raised voice from the workers unloading David's equipment, the only sound was the drone of a nearby generator.

"How's the little lady, then?" David asked as Templegate opened the trailer door.

"She's gone into town for the evening, with the students."

"Rrrampant debauchery, then, is it? Bloody students."

Templegate laughed. "Oh, they're nowhere near as bad as we were in our day. I'm sure I can trust them to bring her back safely. They'll have a few drinks, but Penny's never been one to overdo it."

"That's all you know, boyo. Never trust a bloody student, look you."

{{{}}}

The bar in Qina was a bit touristy, in Penny's opinion, but it had become the place where the Europeans from the dig spent their evenings. It had the advantages of being only three miles from the site, and serving good beer and food. The place was quite popular with the tourists who came here after visiting the Valley of the Kings; fortunately, it was off-season for tourists.

Penny walked in with a group of four postgrads. There were already several others from the dig sitting at tables on the terrace.

"Can I get you a beer, Penny?" Lily asked. She was one of the diggers on Penny's new trench, a short, plump, plain girl with mousey hair who always looked away and blushed furiously when Penny caught her eye.

"Thanks, Lily, I'll have a Stella local."

Lily blushed and turned away to order the drinks.

Penny stepped out onto the terrace, acknowledging the nods and hallos from the students. She took a seat at a vacant table. The stone-flagged terrace was illuminated by tall lamps placed along the bar entrance side, and by bare light bulbs strung along the other three sides which lit up the palm trees whose fronds rattled and whispered in the slight breeze.

"Do you mind if I sit with you?" Lily asked with a nervous tremor in her voice.

"Of course I don't mind. I'd be mortally offended if you didn't sit with me." Penny gave her a smile, and tried to think of a way to put the poor girl at ease. Talk about work, she thought, that will help. "How are you finding it, working in the trenches? Hot, dusty and boring seems to be the general consensus."

"Oh, it's not boring! It's like, any minute I might find something exciting. I mean, it probably wouldn't be anything totally amazing like a scarab brooch or something, but, well . . . And I hardly notice the heat once I get really, um, absorbed, you know?" Lily kept trying to meet Penny's eyes, then looking down at her drink again in an agony of shyness. Penny thought it was quite sweet, but also rather trying after a while. In a way, she wanted to grab her and give her a humungous snog, if only to break the tension; on the other hand, she didn't want to start something she couldn't finish. Lily was cute, in her way, but Penny had no desire to get into a relationship with her. It was a shame they couldn't just relax and be friends, but that was unrequited love for you.

The two Americans appeared from inside the bar. Penny caught Beauregarde's eye without exactly meaning to. He smiled, and they walked over.

"Mind if we join you? We don't know anyone here," Beauregarde said.

"Take a seat," Penny said with a smile. Lily hunched over her glass.

"I'm Bo, and this is Vinnie. You're Penny, right? And your friend . . . ?"

"This is Lily. She's one of the undergrads working on my trench." Penny didn't mention that she already knew their names; she didn't want to appear too interested.

Lily glanced up briefly and said "Hi" in a tiny voice.

"We don't get to mix much with the student dudes," Vinnie said. "We're workin with the Egyptians, and they don't talk to us cos we don't know the lingo."

Penny noted that he hadn't said 'the _other_ students'. "Well, we're a friendly lot once you get to know us. Aren't we?" she added, giving Lily a surreptitious nudge.

"So how did you come to be working at the dig?" Lily asked. Penny gave her a pat on the knee to thank her for making an effort.

Vinnie trotted out their cover story: They were on a gap year, media studies, run out of money etc. Penny watched Bo's face while Vinnie talked. He avoided her eyes. What were these two _really_ doing in Egypt?

Bo changed the subject. "Your Pop's the main man at the dig, is that right?" he asked Penny. "What is it we're diggin for, by the way?"

"Yeah, my Dad's the 'main man'. He's got this theory that there was a Pharaoh who was expunged from the records. There's a gap between two other Pharaohs, and various missing scrolls and suchlike."

"And your Pop believes he's buried out there?"

"Well, no, not as such. But he's found evidence that there might be some relics to be found there that would tell us more about Pharaoh X."

Bo laughed. "Pharaoh X! I like that. Good name for a Death Metal band."

Penny thought: he looks gorgeous when he laughs. Oh, stop it, she told herself.

They got talking about music, about England, about Iowa, where Bo and Vinnie came from. Vinnie seemed content to sit and listen, throwing in the occasional humorous comment. Poor Lily just sat there and suffered in silence. When the time came to return to the site, Penny refused Bo's offer of a lift, as she had already arranged transport back to the dig with the students. She made sure to sit next to Lily in the Land Rover on the way back. At the site, she walked Lily to her tent.

"Thanks for hanging out with me tonight," Penny said awkwardly. She gave Lily a quick peck on the cheek, then turned and walked away.

"Goodnight," Lily said to her retreating back. Her voice sounded sad.

{{{}}}

The next morning was a pleasant break for the diggers as the site was cleared for David's survey. The students stood around and watched as David's team set up their equipment. Lily stood with Penny and the rest of Penny's trench crew. When Bo and Vinnie ambled over, Penny heard Lily mutter "Oh, go away." She had to stifle a laugh.

"Yo, Penny," Bo greeted her.

"Hi, Bo." She could almost hear Lily grinding her teeth.

"They gonna tell you guys where to dig, right?"

"If they find anything."

"So, could be you guys been wastin your time up till now?"

"Could be." Now it was Penny's turn to feel shy and awkward. She almost wished Bo would put a shirt on. Almost.

"Hiya, gorgeous," Vinnie said to Lily. She looked so shocked to be addressed in this way that Vinnie couldn't help but laugh. Lily blushed, mumbled something, and hurried away. "What's her problem?" Vinnie asked.

"Dude, you are one shitass-dumb motherfucker," Bo told him.

"Huh?"

Penny felt herself blushing. I never blush! she thought. Bo gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Hey, it's cool. Kinda sweet, really." He winked at Penny, then he and Vinnie turned in unison, as if telepathically synchronised, and ambled away.

{{{}}}

David had set up his laptop on one of the benches in the big marquee. For the moment, only he, Professor Templegate, Penny and James Spencer were present to view the results. David tapped a key and a three-dimensional representation of the ground beneath the site filled the screen.

"There's nothing there," Penny exclaimed. "Nothing at all!"

"Only this, see?" David pointed to a bright dot, from which a faint line extended vertically to just below the surface. "I'll zoom in." The screen flickered and changed to an image of a rectangular box shape. "Wooden box, it is, about two foot long by a foot square. Nothing dense inside, mind. I'd dig the bloody thing up, isn't it, then move the dig up or down the valley. Survey all round, I will, if you like. P'raps you missed the site by no more than a few bloody yards."

Templegate leaned closer to the screen. "P'raps we didn't, boyo."

{{{}}}

James manoeuvred the digger while David directed him. "That's the spot, look you. Dig the bloody hole right there, boyo."

The survey had shown the box to be buried at a depth of just over nine metres. The box had been buried at the bottom of a vertical shaft, which had then been filled in. Since vertical excavation would be more difficult, the plan was to dig a sloping trench down to eight metres mechanically, then dig the final metre or so by hand. The digger didn't get far below the surface before it reached solid sandstone. This meant it had to reverse into the trench and break up the rock with the jackhammer mounted on the rear of the machine, then turn back round and remove the rubble with the front scoop. It took all afternoon and well into the evening.

Penny didn't go with the others to the bar in Qina. She stayed at the site, surfing the Internet on the PC in her father's trailer. She was deliberately avoiding the students because she knew that the dig was over for them, and she didn't want to have to lie to her friends when they asked her what was going on. Her father had sworn her to secrecy; she thought he was being a bit paranoid, which wasn't like him at all. She went to bed late, and slept badly.

{{{}}}

"Can I speak to you in private?" Lily asked. Her voice had a catch in it; she was shaking, and there were tears in her eyes.

"Of course." Penny had been dreading this. She led her into the big marquee, empty this morning since everyone else was either at the trench, or packing up their gear.

"I'll never see you again," Lily choked, then her face crumpled and tears ran down her cheeks.

"Come here." Penny wrapped her arms around her and held her as she sobbed. She felt like crying herself; she had become fond of Lily, and it hurt her to see her so unhappy. She put her hand beneath Lily's chin and gently tilted her face upwards. She kissed her; not passionately, but tenderly.

"I love you," Lily whispered.

"I know." Penny had to push her away, but she held both her hands as she said "You'll meet somebody. You're lovely, and you'll find someone who will love you. I'm sorry that it can't be me."

A single tear rolled down Penny's cheek. Lily reached up and touched it.

"Thank you. I'll never forget you."

"You'd better go now. You need to pack. You don't want to keep everyone waiting." Penny gave her a smile. Lily made a brave effort to smile back, then ran out of the marquee.

{{{}}}

"You're absolutely certain that this thing is what you've been looking for? You don't think you should wait until you've dug up the bloody thing before you send everybody home?" David shook his head. "I don't understand it, boyo. You were never a rash man. Careful, methodical, that's you, see?"

He and Professor Templegate were standing in the trench, watching James chip away at the rock with a hammer and chisel.

"I've been looking for a wooden box, with nothing heavy inside it," Templegate said. "Buried in the Valley of the Kings, halfway between the tombs of Seti I and Thutmosis IV. If this box isn't the one I'm looking for, then it isn't here, or anywhere. This has to be it, and I have to keep it quiet."

"Why?"

"I can't tell you."

"You don't trust me, is it?"

"It's not that. I can't even tell you why I can't tell you," Templegate said with a crooked smile. "Please take my word for it - it's for the best."

"For the best, then? Will you be wanting me to leave as well?"

"No, you might as well stay. You've seen the box on your scan, anyway."

"And inside the box?"

"Best if you don't know. I may be able to tell you everything one day, but I've got a lot of work to do first."

"Bloody hell, boy. It had better be a bloody good story, look you."

"It will be."

David and James followed as Templegate carried the box to his trailer. Penny had been watching as Bo, Vinnie and some of the Egyptians dismantled the big marquee. She saw her father carrying the box and ran over to him.

"Is that it?" she asked.

"Yes, this is it."

She followed. When they reached the trailer, Templegate stopped and stood with the box cradled in his arms.

"James, can you have everything ready to go by first thing tomorrow morning?"

"Not a problem, Professor. All the arrangements have been made, you can leave everything to me."

"Good man. David?"

"This will be where I bugger off, is it?"

"Have you got everything packed up?"

"Yes, yes. I'll be going, then." David nodded towards the box. "I hope it's everything you're expecting it to be." They shook hands. "Penny?"

She kissed him on the cheek. "It was nice to see you again, Uncle David. I hope you'll come for a longer visit once we're all back in dear old Blighty."

David laughed. "Ah, there's lovely you are. Look after your Da for me."

Penny closed the trailer's door while her father placed the box on his desk. He sat down and stared at it.

"Do you know how to open it?" Penny asked.

"It's just an ordinary seal. The lid will lift off easily enough."

"So . . ."

He gave her a questioning look.

"So, open it then! Or do you need to be alone to do it?"

"No, you already know as much as I do. You know what's in the box."

"I know what you _think_ is in it; what we both _hope_ is in it. So _open_ it!" 


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

The only way they could negotiate the stairs was for Bo to go ahead with the water, and for Vinnie to bump down the steps on his butt, one step at a time. The steps seemed to go a long way down, but maybe that was exaggerated by the slowness of their progress. The concrete of the steps and walls had given way to sandstone. Eventually, they came to the bottom, where the steps joined a tunnel which stretched off to left and right. They turned right, since the cinderblock buildings were in that direction. The other way would presumably lead to the last hangar. The air was dry and stale. Their footsteps reverberated so that the tunnel rang like a stony bell. They soon came to another set of steps leading upwards on their right. They figured those steps would lead to the first hangar, so they carried on. When they came to the next stairway, they decided it would take them to the small block with the radio mast. They reckoned the largest block would be their best bet, so they bypassed the next stairway as well. At last they came to the stairway which should lead to the large block. The passage continued a short way, then more steps led downwards, but the steps they wanted led up to the right.

Getting up the steps was a bitch. Bo had to carry the water cans up a few steps, then come back down to help Vinnie, who was really struggling now; he looked about ready to pass out. When they finally made it to the top, they found another trapdoor above them.. Bo knew the trick of it now, and quickly got it open. It swung up with a hiss.

They emerged into a small room. There was a door in the centre of one wall; the doorway was of normal width at the bottom, but twice as wide at the top. The other walls bore racks, empty except for one boilersuit-like garment, made from a peculiar brown material, which was ripped and partially burnt. Bo took a closer look at it. The material was like leather, but scaly - as if made from tanned fish-skin. He removed it from the rack and held it up. There were tubes of material hanging from the chest, and the overall proportions were wrong: the arms were too long, the shoulders ridiculously wide. He looked back towards the oddly-shaped door.

"Musta been a strange-lookin dude," Vinnie said, echoing Bo's thoughts. "Looks like he got zapped."

Bo put the suit back on its rack and turned to the door. The handle worked the same way as the ones on the trapdoors, but the door slid upwards into the top of the doorframe.

Ceiling lights came on automatically as the door opened. The room beyond was like the laboratory of a mad scientist. Vinnie remained propped in the doorway while Bo looked around. The equipment was strange; there was nothing he could recognise, no microscopes, centrifuges, computers . . . there seemed to be controls, but they weren't buttons or switches. There were bulbous white things, several for each machine. Bo squeezed one of them, and the machine responded with a series of clicks and a whining sound. A flexible copper-coloured tube emerged from the machine's works. There was an elliptical cup on the end of it, with a flickering glow within it. The cup seemed designed for an eye twice the size of his own; he carefully put his eye to it, not making full contact. He saw fractal spirals of green, blue and purple, curling around each other in a slow dance that made his eye ache. He took his eye away and looked for any other things that might be controls. There was a row of metal loops, similar in shape to the door handles, but half the size. He turned one of them, and an alarming crackling noise came from the machine; he turned it back and the noise stopped.

"Dude, stop messin with that shit, you're makin me nervous." Bo looked over at Vinnie, who gestured towards the wall on his right. "Why don't we try those doors?"

There were two doors in the wall. The first door opened onto a small room which smelled strongly of rotting meat. Hooks hung from the ceiling on peculiarly linked chains and there were channels in the floor which led to a central drain. The walls, floor and even ceiling were stained as if splashed with noxious fluids then hosed down but not scrubbed clean. Bo quickly closed the door.

"_Dude_ . . ." Vinnie said.

"Yeah. Still wanna open the other door?"

"Shit . . . I guess so . . ."

The door opened onto a spherical chamber whose walls were translucent. Behind the pearly surface, things moved. It looked like machinery, only more organic. Bo shut the door again.

"What the fuck _is_ this place?" Vinnie asked. "Can you make any kinda sense of it?"

"Hell, no. I'm startin to think we ain't gonna find any supplies we could use. What now?"

"I guess we head back down and try the other stairs." Vinnie was looking dog-tired.

When they got back down to the tunnel, Vinnie had to sit and rest for a while.

"How's your leg feelin?" Bo asked him.

"Switch off the flash till we get movin again," he replied, ignoring the question. "We ain't got no spare batt'ries."

Bo felt a bit encouraged by the return of Vinnie's normal, bossy self. The toadstools on his leg glowed eerily in the darkness. As his eyes adjusted, Bo realised he could see well enough by their light so that they could save the flashlight for when they really needed it. He felt disturbed to be considering those horrible growths as something useful; it felt wrong to be thinking that way.

A sound came from back up the tunnel, towards the hangars. It was a sort of slurping noise - and it was coming closer, or at least, getting louder.

"Oh fuck, what now?" Bo said.

"Gimme some water," Vinnie ordered.

"Dude, we gotta-"

"Gimme some water right _now."_

Bo hurried to pour him a cup, which Vinnie snatched from him and drank in a few big gulps.

"Now you. Don't argue." Bo poured the last of the can's water into the cup. "Drink it." He emptied the cup in two swallows. "Okay, let's go."

As he helped Vinnie to his feet, Bo realised why Vinnie had wanted them to finish the water: they were now left with only one jerry can to carry. The slurping noise was definitely closer, and Bo could smell a foul stench which he recognised with a sinking feeling; although it smelled like the dog-thing, only stronger, it didn't _sound_ like any dog-like thing.

"Back up the steps?" he asked, thinking of getting a closed hatch between them and whatever was making that sound.

"Fuck no, too slow and even if we made it quick enough we'd be trapped. Down there."

Bo looked towards the steps that led deeper underground. He didn't want to go down there, but he didn't want to wait and see what was making the slurping sound either. Vinnie hopped towards the steps, steadying himself against the wall with one hand with each hop. He made pretty good time going down the steps that way, with Bo following close behind, lugging the jerry can. The sloshing of the water masked the sound they were fleeing from, so that they couldn't tell how close it was, or if it was gaining on them. They didn't dare stop to listen. Vinnie cried out and tumbled down the steps as he missed his footing, leaving Bo in darkness without the light from his leg. He fumbled for the flashlight and switched it on; he could now hear that the sound was nearly upon him. He had to see.

When he shone the flash back up the steps he saw, just a few yards away, a mass of transparent tubes with dozens of eyes mixed in, and several mouths lined with needle teeth, all wet with blueish purple fluid. He reckoned it was either the dog-thing, not dead after all but somehow transformed into something even more horrible, or its big brother. It flinched when the light struck it, and made a peculiar whistling sound: "_Tekeli-li! Tekeli-li!_" Bo dropped the jerry can and plunged down the steps. He came almost immediately to a dead end. Vinnie lay crumpled against the sandstone wall at which the stairway terminated. The short stretch of level floor held another trapdoor. Bo fumbled it open, pushed Vinnie into the hole and dived after him, slamming the hatch shut just as a stinking transparent tentacle lashed across his face. The hatch chopped the tentacle off. It landed on the floor and writhed until he ground it into the sandstone with his boot. His face burned where the tendril had lashed him, from just in front of his right ear to the point of his chin. The thing must have stinging cells, like a jellyfish.

He heard a hissing noise, and played the flashlight over the walls of the small cubicle they'd fallen into. There was a rectangular recess at the top of one wall, where sand could be seen falling past. Just then, the flow stopped; there was a loud clunk, and the bottom fell out of his stomach. They were in an elevator. At the back of the recess he could see a sandstone surface moving upwards at a steadily increasing speed, which soon became a blur. Vinnie groaned. Bo knelt to see if he'd been hurt in his fall.

"Where are we now? What happened?"

"You don't want to know," Bo told him.

"Switch off the flash. Batt'ries," he mumbled.

Bo did as told.

By the time the elevator stopped they were deep underground. The ceiling hatch opened with a hiss.

"How are we supposed to get out?" Bo said.

"I'll give you a boost," Vinnie told him. He got to his knees and made a stirrup with his hands. He was able to boost Bo high enough so he could get his arms out of the hatch, brace himself, and haul himself out. He reached back down, grasped Vinnie's arms and heaved. Vinnie managed to get a grip on the edges of the hatch; Bo reached down, got hold of his belt and dragged him the rest of the way out. They lay on the floor and panted, getting their breath back.

"I lost the water," Bo confessed, once he was able to speak.

"Don't worry about it, dude. We're dead anyway. Have been since the damn tyre blew."

By the glow from Vinnie's leg, they could see that they were in another tunnel, which terminated at the elevator hatch. There was only one way to go.

The tunnel emerged into a hexagonal antechamber which led to an open space. Bo switched on the flashlight and swept it around, revealing an amazing sight.

They were in a temple. The high vaulted roof was supported by columns. On every side were piles of gold artefacts: platters, chalices, statuettes, many of them studded with jewels which sparkled with every conceivable colour as Bo played the flashlight over them. Mixed in with the jumble of treasure were what appeared to be human bones. Bo looked carefully, but didn't see a single skull anywhere.

Vinnie laughed. "I guess we're rich, then."

"Dead rich," Bo agreed, and they both laughed like loons. He swept the flash around. "I'd give all this for a ham, cheese and pickle sandwich."

"Better be one awesome fuck of a sandwich, dude." Vinnie pointed at some amphorae lined up along one wall. "You reckon there's anything in them things?"

"Could be." Bo went over and examined one of them. It was glazed pottery, covered in weird geometric designs. The pottery bung was sealed with tar. He got his pocket-knife out and dug at the seal. When the bung came loose, he inhaled the fragrance of fine wine. "Yeehar!"

"What is it?" Vinnie called from where he sat propped against a pillar.

"Wine, dude! And it's still good after . . ." After how long, he wondered? Egyptian tombs were usually thousands of years old, weren't they? Could wine have lasted that long, even sealed into an airtight container?

"Well, shit-a-goddam," Vinnie exclaimed. "At last, some fuckin _good_ news!"

Bo was thinking about the spaghetti monster, wondering if it would be able to enter the lift and follow them. He and Vinnie had been keeping up their usual banter, their way of coping with stressful situations, neither wanting to be the first to admit how terrified they were. Of course, it was worse for Vinnie because of the infected wound in his leg, so if he wasn't bitching, Bo didn't feel he could say anything, however hard it was to cope with the fear and the strangeness. Maybe more wine would help. He noticed something.

"Dude, it's gone dark."

"Huh?" Vinnie sounded half asleep.

"I just went to refill my chalice and I realised I couldn't see anythin. Look at your leg, dude."

"What? I can't see my fuckin leg, dipshit, it's too fuckin dar . . . k. Oh." The purple glow had disappeared.

Bo switched the flashlight on and shone it on Vinnie's leg. The toadstools were shrivelled and wilting. Vinnie touched one of them. It broke off, fell onto the floor and crumpled into papery flakes. He brushed at the rest of them, with the same result. The skin beneath looked healthy, apart from the short white scars left by the dog-thing's teeth.

"That healed pretty damn quick," Bo said. "How you feelin now?"

"Drunk." Vinnie stared at his leg as if he'd never seen it before.

"Maybe it was the wine that did it. Maybe space-fungus can't stand alcohol."

Vinnie frowned. "We're gonna havta find lamps or somethin."

"Dude, you're _cured_." Bo could hardly believe Vinnie's attitude. He almost sounded as if he regretted the loss of the glowing fungus. "Never mind about fuckin lamps."

"Pour us another chalice, then switch the flash off. Them batt'ries ain't gonna last forever."

Vinnie held the flash while Bo poured the drinks.

"Before I switch it off, see if you can get up and walk," Bo suggested.

"Okay." Vinnie got to his feet, swayed, then walked to the altar and back. He was a bit wobbly, but that was probably on account of the wine. He sat back down next to Bo, took the chalice from his hand and leaned back against the pillar. Bo switched off the flash.

"Dude." Vinnie sounded serious, as if he had something weighing on his mind.

"Yeah?"

"There's all like thrones and stuff in here."

"So?"

"So why are we sittin on the floor, dude?"

^ ^^ ^^^ ~~~{~~{{~{{{o}}}~}}~~}~~~ ^^^ ^^ ^

Bo woke up in darkness with a head made of throb and a dead sparrow where his tongue should have been.

He switched on the flashlight and poured himself a chalice of wine, wishing it was water. What we need, he thought, is the opposite of the miracle of Cana. His head thumped as he took a gulp. Better get used to it, he thought, gonna be permanently drunk or hungover if we can't find a way outta here. The light from the flash seemed less bright, but hadn't yet gone yellow. Vinnie had been right, they'd better look for lamps. But how would they light them? Neither of them were smokers, so they didn't carry matches or lighters. The wine made Bo feel sick. Well, that was okay; at least he no longer felt hungry.

When Vinnie woke up a short while later, Bo told him what he'd been thinking about the lamps, and asked him if he could think of a way to light them, if they could find any.

"Here's what we do," Vinnie said. "We shine the flash as far as we can see ahead, then switch it off and walk in the dark till we lose our orientation or bump into stuff. Then we do the same again. That way, we make it last as long as we can while we look for another way outta this shit-pit."

Bo wondered what the builders of the temple would think of Vinnie's description of it. "Where do we start?"

"Behind the altar? There's bound to be a way that the High Priest comes in from the inner sanctum or whatever."

"Ow, _fuck!_" Bo switched the flashlight on to see Vinnie bent over, clutching his groin with both hands. "My balls!"

Bo cracked up. Vinnie had walked into the nose of a cat statue. "Not the kinda pussy they're used to bangin against," he laughed.

They had reached the altar, so Bo left the flashlight on as they stepped around behind it. There was a door in the back wall, half open, with a skeleton across the threshold, its ribcage and arms visible. There was no skull.

Bo pushed the door fully open and stepped over the skeleton. As he did so, he noticed that the leg bones, from about halfway down the femur, were melted - they had run like wax and pooled on the stone floor. He shuddered.

Vinnie followed him through the doorway. "Dude, have you noticed? There's no skulls."

Bo replied without turning to face him. "Yeah, I noticed. Shut up about it." He shone the light around the walls, which were covered in hieroglyphs. It's probably just as well that I can't read this shit, he thought. There was another half-open door on the far side of the chamber. He walked over and pushed it open. A stairway led down into the darkness.

Vinnie looked past him. "Oh, fuckin wonderful. We get to go even deeper into the bowels of the earth."

"It's either that or we go back to face the spaghetti monster."

"The _what?_"

"Oh yeah. I kinda forgot to mention it, cos I totally didn't want to think about it, but you never saw it cos you were too busy fallin down the steps like a klutz."

"So what did it look like?"

"You remember what spilled outta the dog-thing's head?"

"Shit, dude, I ain't never gonna forget it."

"Well it was like that, only much bigger, with more eyeballs and teeth."

Vinnie rolled his eyes. "And you just forgot to mention that? Still, we got guns . . ." He sounded uncertain.

"I'm not a hundred percent sure nine mil rounds would stop the motherfucker. We had to put three whole clips into the dog-thing. Forty-five rounds. And this thing was bigger - much bigger. Maybe if we had a flamethrower . . ."

"So I guess we go down the steps?"

"I guess we do."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Penny watched as her father carefully picked and scraped at the pitch seal around the box's upper edge.

"The wood is probably cedar," Professor Templegate said as he worked. "As dessicated as it is, it's hard to be sure, but it's definitely not mahogany or rosewood, and cedar was favoured because of its pleasant aroma . . . ah, here we are." The seal cracked as he gently levered at the edges of the lid, which then lifted off. Penny craned over his shoulder.

"Scrolls! You were right, Dad."

"Let's see what they have to say before we decide I was right, shall we?" The professor gave her an excited grin. He carefully lifted out the five scrolls and placed them to one side. "We can't unroll them until they've been treated; the papyrus would just crumble, but Professor Ludwig transcribed and translated them . . ." He reached into the box again. "Here we are." He spread the yellowed pages on the desk top. "Hieratic, as one would expect. I'll go straight to Ludwig's translations." He sorted through the pages, then began to read. " 'First scroll: All praise to our God and King, Nephren-Ka, Father of the Waters, Protector of the Two Lands . . .' " He stopped, and looked up from the page. "Penny! It's _him_, it _must_ be. There's no record of any Pharaoh by that name-"

"There is now," Penny said, gesturing at the box. "Daddy, I'm so proud of you." She kissed his cheek.

Over the next couple of hours, the professor read aloud to his daughter the story of Pharaoh Nephren-Ka. It began with the Pharaoh's ancestry, starting from the Second Dynasty Pharaoh Seth-Peribsen, then gave an account of his economic, political and military achievements, which were not particularly remarkable. The story became more interesting halfway through the fourth scroll, which gave an account of the building of a temple to the god of chaos.

" 'His name can not be uttered by the tongue of man. Its meaning is that there is no peace of mind in the Hall of Judgement. He is the emissary of the Elder Gods. He is their heart and their soul. He will lead them from the outer darkness when the stars are right.' " Professor Templegate stopped reading. "It doesn't sound as if they're referring to Seth. Surely, if they meant Seth, they would say so? I've never read that phrase in connection with him . . ." He consulted the transcription of the fourth scroll. " 'Ny har lut hotep'."

Seth was the known god of chaos in the ancient Egyptian pantheon.

"I've never heard of these 'Elder Gods', either," Penny said. "Could there be a whole other pantheon, even more ancient than Osiris, Isis, Horus and the rest?"

"Perhaps they're referring to the gods of the ancient Semitic peoples, the Sumerians and Chaldeans? 'He will lead them from the outer darkness': was Nephren-Ka intending to revive an older religion? Certainly, some Pharaohs changed the official religion at various times, Akhenaten, for instance." Professor Templegate frowned at the scroll. "What bothers me is this line: 'His name can not be uttered by the tongue of man'. Ludwig added a footnote to say that it's not merely a taboo against saying the god's name out loud; it doesn't say 'may not be uttered' or 'must not be uttered'. He quotes the original Egyptian phrase, and I have to agree that the language is unambiguous. It's saying that it isn't _possible_ for the human tongue to pronounce the name. The given meaning of the name is strange, too. There's a certain amount of leeway in translating the phrase 'Nuy har lut hotep'. 'There is no peace, or rest, or contentment in the Hall of Judgement, or through, or beyond the gateway."

"If by gateway they meant the transition between life and death, then 'beyond the gateway' and 'in the Hall of Judgement' would be the same thing," Penny observed.

In the ancient Egyptian 'Book of the Dead' (properly, 'The spells of going forth by day') the place in which the newly deceased find themselves is the Hall of Judgement, an antechamber of the afterlife. After first being judged by various gods with names such as Bone-Crusher, Shining-Tooth, Blood-Consumer, Flint-Eyes, Entrail-Consumer and so on, the heart of the deceased is weighed in the scales of Maat by the god Anubis. If the heart weighs less than an ibis feather, the deceased is allowed to pass on into the afterlife. If the heart weighs more, the deceased is consumed by Ammut (or Amemet), a chimeric monster with the head of a crocodile, the front body of a lion and the rear body of a hippopotamus.

"Obviously, there would be no peace of mind in the Hall of Judgement," Penny continued. "You would be under threat of being eaten, which is bound to cause you a certain amount of anxiety."

The professor looked thoughtful. "If we could find this temple . . ." He resumed reading.

The scroll didn't give a precise location for the temple, but they were able to infer that it had been built somewhere west of the Nile, in the 'Red Land' - the desert - towards what is now Libya. The scroll described the excavation of a great pit; it seemed to imply that the temple had been a subterranean structure.

Professor Ludwig's introduction to his translation of the fifth and final scroll stated that it had been written in a different hand. Professor Templegate read aloud: " 'Forever accursed be the name of the devil Nephren-Ka. Let his image be erased from the temples. Let his name never again be uttered by any man.' "

This last scroll told of the crimes of Nephren-Ka: he had 'cast the land into darkness' and had 'unleashed monsters upon the people'. The god Ny-har-lut-hotep had emerged from the new temple 'in the darkness of Nephren-Ka', bringing with him the goddess Tiamat: 'the Dragon of Chaos, the Mother of Abominations'. Tens of thousands had died, their bodies and souls eaten by the spawn of Tiamat.

A hero, 'the Bringer of Light', entered the temple secretly and stole the 'shining (untranslateable)' with which to overcome the power of Ny-har-lut-hotep and to banish the offspring of Tiamat to the outer darkness. Nephren-Ka was captured, executed by having his heart cut from his living body and burned, the ashes being scattered upon the waters of the Nile, with appropriate prayers to the river's god, Sobek. The remainder of Nephren-Ka's body was fed to the crocodiles.

"Well, it doesn't sound as if we'll ever find any tomb, then," Penny observed when the professor had finished reading. "The temple of Ny-har-lut-hotep, on the other hand, would be the find of the century."

^^^ ^^ ^ ~~{~{{oOo}}~}~~ ^ ^^ ^^^

Aqrba lay on the hilltop overlooking the infidels' encampment. The heat of the rock seeped through the front of his combat jacket as he focussed his binoculars on the trailer to which they had taken the box. The German archaeologist had been stopped before he'd found the Temple, more than a century ago, but Al Abaadh mn Alfwdha had been unaware that any clues had been left behind. The German and his companions had been executed, and all their research material destroyed - or so Al Abaadh had thought. But when the Templegate expedition had come to their attention, they had realised that some material must have been missed. Aqrba was here to correct that omission.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

They descended in darkness. The stairway seemed to go on forever, which was no more than they'd come to expect. The steps and walls, at first merely dusty, became damper and more furred with nitre as they sank ever deeper into the bedrock of the desert. Bo was more thirsty than he'd ever been in his life.

"Dude, we should have brung some of that wine." His voice reverberated strangely.

"Yeah," Vinnie agreed, "we sure are dumb."

Bo's leg jarred as the steps ended unexpectedly. At the same time, he almost fell sideways as the wall he'd been feeling his way along came to an end. He switched on the flash.

"More weird shit," Vinnie said in a bored tone that made Bo laugh.

They were in a cave of white rock. There were things like stalactites - except that they weren't like stalactites. They grew in all directions: down, up, across; they curved, waved and spiralled in an eye-boggling tangle. The rock was shiny in places, dull in others. As they stepped forwards, Bo reached out and touched one of the shiny surfaces. It was wet.

"Dude! There's water," he told Vinnie. "See if you can find any kinda pool anywhere."

"Way ahead of ya, dude. Take a look at this shit."

Bo went over to look at what Vinnie had found. It was a small pool of clear water, but there was a problem with it; the surface was inclined at about thirty degrees to the horizontal.

Bo dipped his hand into it and cupped some in his palm. It was cold, and sat in his palm at the same strange angle, yet drained away vertically between his fingers.

"You ain't gonna drink that, are you?" Vinnie asked, wide-eyed.

"Gotta drink somethin, sooner or later. You said it yourself, dude: we're already dead."

"Well, don't say I didn't warn ya if you start walkin funny."

Bo scooped water into his mouth and swallowed. The water tasted like the Elixir of Life. He drank some more.

"How do you feel?" Vinnie asked.

Bo shrugged. "Refreshed."

"Fuck it." Vinnie drank. He wiped his lips. "You reckon there's any animals down here?"

"Shit, dude, I sure hope not."

"No, I mean somethin we can shoot for food. I'm starvin like Marvin."

"You start shootin in here, you're likely to kill us both with the ricochets. Come on, let's see if this shit leads anywhere."

They had been clambering through the tangles of twisted rock for a couple of hours when Vinnie grabbed Bo's arm and pointed at the flashlight.

"That's goin yellow, dude."

Bo shrugged. "Not a fuck of a lot we can do about it. You wanna try climbin through this jungle-gym in the dark?"

Vinnie shook his head. "We are so fucked."

"So you keep sayin. What happened to 'we gotta stay positive if we're gonna survive'?"

"Suck my balls."

^^^ ^^ ^ ~~~{~~{{{O}}}~~}~~~ ^ ^^ ^^^

The flashlight was dimming fast when Vinnie grabbed Bo's arm to stop him.

"Dude, I don't feel so good." Bo shone the flash in Vinnie's face, and was shocked to see how haggard he looked. His cheeks were sunken and deeply lined, and his eye sockets looked bruised. "Maybe we shouldn'ta drunk that screwy water."

"I feel okay."

"Congratufuckinlations."

"Lemme check somethin." Bo turned off the flash. Vinnie's eyes glowed with a now-familiar blueish purple light. "Oh shit."

Vinnie gestured towards the glow on the rock in front of him. "That's comin from me, ain't it?" He gave a short laugh that was halfway to a sob. "Well, it's bin nice knowin ya, thank you and good night." He slumped against a curve of rock, slid down and sat hugging his knees.

Bo sat down next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't give up, Vinnie. It cleared up once before, didn't it? Maybe we should go back and get some more wine."

Vinnie shook his head. "It never cleared up. It was just lyin low, what's the word . . . incubatin?" He hauled himself to his feet. "Well, at least we got light, now. Better save the last of the batt'ry for after I'm . . . gone."

Bo stood and put his hand back on his friend's shoulder. "You ain't gonna die. We're gonna find a way outta this fuckhole and get you to a hospital. You're a long way from dead, yet."

"Whatever you say, dude. Let's go."

^^^ ^^ ^ ~{~{{oo}}~}~ ^ ^^ ^^^

They came to an open space, where there was a large pool of water, again inclined at about thirty degrees. Bo drank, but Vinnie didn't want to. He slumped to the floor.

"Ah, dude, I feel so bad," he said in a quiet voice that took Bo back to his childhood; Vinnie sounded about ten years old. Bo knelt down and looked at his friend's face, but couldn't see it properly because of the now brighter glow from his eyes. He switched on the flashlight. Vinnie's face was covered in lumps. The skin looked stretched ready to burst. The lumps swelled even as he watched. Vinnie was shaking, sweat pouring down his distorted face. "I'm dyin, dude."

Bo felt tears trickling down his face. How had it come to this? How had their Egyptian adventure turned into such a bizarre nightmare?

"Find your way outta here, dude. Do it for me." Vinnie's voice was a feeble whisper.

"Don't die, Vinnie," Bo sobbed. "I love you, man."

Vinnie reached out and grasped Bo's hand.

The lumps on his face burst. His body crumpled as glowing toadstools forced their way out of him, tearing his clothes. Bo backed away, making a high-pitched keening sound of utter horror. A stink wafted from the low mound that had been his friend; a less virulent version of the smell from the spaghetti monster.

Bo was alone in the depths of the Earth. His lifelong friend was dead; his flashlight was dying. There was no hope. He sat down with his back to the cave wall, took out his pistol and raised it to his face. The metal was cold against his lips, and the muzzle dug into the roof of his mouth. "Wait for me, Vinnie," he thought. "I'm comin with you." He pulled the trigger, but the gun only clicked.

_ "The weapon will not fire. I will not allow it." _The voice was like a thousand people whispering in unison. Bo lowered the gun and looked up.

A figure in a hooded robe stood by the glowing clump of fungus. It was about nine feet tall. Bo couldn't see its face.

_ "You are saved, if you obey me."_

Bo couldn't think. He felt empty, lost. He simply stared at the figure, his mind completely blank.

_ "You will do my bidding. Take these things." _The figure held out a tube about eighteen inches long by two inches thick, and a box about two feet long by a foot square. Bo stared at the figure's hands; they were large, black, and the fingers ended in claws. He felt no fear. He felt nothing at all.

A thin black tentacle lashed from within the figure's hood and stabbed into Bo's left forearm. The pain brought him abruptly back to his senses.

_ "Stand," _the figure ordered. _"Take these things. If you disobey me, you will share the fate of your companion."_

Bo got to his feet and took the objects with shaking hands. The tube was a scroll; the box was wooden and heavy.

_ "Behold," _the figure said, and swept its arm in a vertical arc. An arch appeared in the cave wall. Bo blinked against the bright light. As his eyes adjusted, he saw something he simply couldn't believe.

Beyond the arch was an ordinary city street. Perfectly normal-looking people walked past, without giving the arch a single glance. There was traffic; cars, vans, a red double-decker bus.

_ "Seek Setepenra Templegate. Give her the scroll, and the box. If you fail me, in thought or deed, you will return here and die the death. Do you hear me, human?"_

Bo could only nod.

_ "Then go."_

Bo stepped through the arch.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Aqrba crept down the hillside. The dig's security arrangements were pathetic: no perimeter fence, two Egyptian guards on the dirt road that led into the site, and two more who were supposed to perform regular perimeter patrols, but hadn't bothered to do so since the infidels had retired for the night. As he approached the pole-lights which lined the dirt track, Aqrba paused to allow his eyes to adjust, then continued until he reached the professor's trailer. He tried the trailer's door and found it to be locked. He took a small jemmy from his webbing chest-rig and inserted it in the jamb; the lock broke with a crunch that sounded loud in the stillness of the night. Aqrba wasn't worried that the guards might hear. Even if they had decided to patrol and were nearby, the hum of the generator would prevent the sound from carrying. He was more worried that the trailer's occupant would be alerted. He moved fast. In the dim light that diffused through the trailer's curtained windows he saw that the professor was sitting up in bed and reaching for the light switch. Aqrba got to him just as the light came on, and the professor only had time to utter the beginning of a single syllable of outrage before the assassin grasped his head, turned it so that he wouldn't be sprayed with the victim's blood, and cut his throat. He leaned on the professor's legs as they kicked, to prevent any further noise. Once the body was still, he searched for the box, which he found tucked under the computer desk. He removed the contents and shrugged off his 25-litre patrol pack, then stuffed the scrolls and the yellowed pages inside. He took out a screwdriver and a bottle of acid, leaned the computer's base unit forwards, unscrewed the back panel and poured the contents of the bottle into the hard drive. There was a memory stick on top of the desk; he put it into his pack.

Now for the girl's trailer: she had been the only other person to enter the professor's trailer since the discovery of the box. She, too, must be eliminated.

~~~{~{**{{OO}}**}~}~~~

"Dude, this is the dumbest thing you ever done."

"You didn't have to tag along, butthole." Bo gave Vinnie a look which meant 'shut the fuck up'. They had to be quiet.

They had been laid off from the dig, which wasn't necessarily a problem. There were other digs. But Bo couldn't let Penny leave without making some attempt to keep in touch. He hadn't been able to speak with her earlier, because she had been holed up with her father in his trailer. He had been resigned to never seeing her again, until he'd had several beers and decided that she was the love of his life, The One. Vinnie had tried to talk him out of it, but Bo was determined. His plan was to knock on her trailer, wake her up and declare his love to her, which Vinnie said was "Totally gay, dude."

When it came to relationships, Vinnie's motto was "Fuck 'em and forget 'em." Bo was more of a romantic, but it never seemed to work out; the one time he really thought it would, she had resented him spending so much time with Vinnie. They ended up rowing all the time, and Bo stopped liking her. When he told her it was over, she slapped him and called him a fag. He tried to walk away, but she followed him, screaming abuse. He had ended up slapping her, to get her to shut up and leave him alone. He had been shocked at himself - he had never hit a woman, and never did again; but he never quite forgave himself for his momentary loss of control. The girl certainly didn't forgive him: she sent her two brothers after him. They were from out of town, so they didn't know that you don't mess with Bo and Vinnie, singly or together. The two-on-one fight lasted about thirty seconds. Bo got thirty days in jail, which was only a few days longer than the two brothers spent in hospital.

Bo felt irrationally certain that Penny really was his one true soulmate, and there was no way he was going to let her just disappear from his life forever.

They had parked up a good way down the road from the site, and had circled round to approach from the rear. They were now creeping up on Penny's trailer.

"You sure this is the right trailer, dude?" Vinnie whispered.

"Yeah I'm sure, fucknuts."

They crept round to the front of the trailer, where a figure in combat gear was inserting a jemmy into the door jamb. Bo pulled out his pistol and pointed it at the figure, who froze, then everything happened at once.

Vinnie said "What the fuck?" and reached for his own pistol, stepping out from behind Bo. The figure in combats raised a pistol with a silencer on its muzzle, and Bo fired. The round hit the figure's shoulder - the pistol flew out of his hand. He ran, and Bo was about to shoot him again when Vinnie restrained him.

"We need to get the fuck outta here."

The trailer's door flew open and Penny stood there, wearing nothing but an oversize white T-shirt which covered her modesty to mid-thigh. Her hair was tangled. She blinked and rubbed her eyes.

"Bo? What was that noise? And what are you doing here?"

"Some guy was tryin to break into your trailer. I shot the motherfucker, but I only winged him."

Penny stared at him wide-eyed. "You _shot_ someone?"

"Dude, we gotta split," Vinnie urged.

"He was gonna shoot me. Listen, we're gonna havta run. You never saw us, okay? Please?" Bo gave her a pleading look.

"What are you _doing_ here, Bo?"

Bo spoke quickly. "I didn't wanna let you leave without tellin you . . ." He couldn't find the words to finish.

"The gaywad butt-monkey is in love with you, okay? Can we _go_ now?" Vinnie grabbed Bo's arm and hauled him away as two torch beams appeared, approaching from the direction of the site entrance. Penny watched as Bo and Vinnie ran into the darkness beyond the pole-lights. They had guns, she thought. Why did they have guns?

~~~{~{**{{OO}}**}~}~~~

Penny was pulling on her combat trousers when the two Egyptian security guards reached her trailer. One of them stuck his head through the doorway, then quickly withdrew. He apologised, then asked what the trouble was. Penny's Arabic was far from fluent, but she caught the gist. Falteringly, she told them that there had been an intruder, but he had run away, and that she needed to speak with her father. She emerged fully dressed, and the guards followed her as she strode towards her father's trailer. When she saw the door hanging open, and the splintered lock, she broke into a run.

The bedside lamp was on. It illuminated the spray of blood on the wall, and the pool of blood on the bed where her father lay face down. She screamed.

~~~{~{**{{OO}}**}~}~~~

Aqrba hauled himself into his Toyota Landcruiser and hugged his throbbing arm. The round had gone straight through the muscle without hitting bone, exiting at a shallow angle behind his shoulder-blade. There was a lot of blood, but the pain was nothing compared to the fact that he had failed. Al Abaadh mn Alfwdha would demand sacrifice in punishment. He prayed to Nyarlathotep for clemency. He swore that he would seek out this Setepenra, that she would not escape him again.

~~~{~{**{{OO}}**}~}~~~

James Spencer sat with Penny while the Egyptian police cordoned off the site and questioned the few remaining workers, the Egyptian security guards and the European drivers. She had given a statement to the police after being treated for shock and sedated by the medical team who had arrived to deal with her father's body. Part of her wanted to get out of Egypt and never come back; departure would now be delayed because of the police investigation. Another part of her didn't want to leave Egypt until she found out who had killed her father, and why. She knew it must have been the person who had been shot by Bo. Although she hadn't seen him, she had believed Bo when he'd told her. She hadn't told the police about the presence of the two Americans, as she realised it would make them prime suspects. But she was very worried by the fact that they'd had guns; she'd known they weren't really students, and had suspected they were up to no good, but guns? She really couldn't imagine Bo as a serious criminal, he was too . . . what? Nice? How did she know he was nice? She hardly knew him at all. Just because she fancied the pants off him . . .

There was a knock at the trailer door. James got up to answer it.

"Penny? There's another police officer who wants to talk to you. Do you feel up to it?"

No, I bloody well don't, she thought. "Yes, I suppose so."

The officer wasn't in uniform. He was tall, dark and strikingly handsome.

"I am most terribly sorry for your loss, miss Templegate," he told her. "I am Detective Inspector Rashid. I have some questions for you, but you need not reiterate your statement regarding the occurrences of the past night. It would be helpful for my investigation if I might gather some background information, particularly regarding your father's research, and your specific purpose at this location."

James remained at her side as she told Rashid about her father's discovery of a series of letters sent by Professor Ludwig to an academic colleague during the course of his late nineteenth century expedition in search of Pharaoh X. The letters had survived a fire in which Ludwig's colleague had died. They had been filed away at the University of Berlin under the category of 'miscellaneous documents'. Finding the letters had been her father's first substantial breakthrough in his research, and had led to the discovery of a journal, a slim volume held by the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. This had also been difficult to find, as it was uncategorised and unlabelled. But it had given the location of a well in the Valley of Kings where Professor Ludwig had buried his most important documents. Rashid pounced on this detail.

"Did the journal say why Professor Ludwig felt it necessary to secrete these documents in this manner?"

Penny felt repulsed by his evident excitement. "Yes. He wrote that a cult of some sort was trying to hamper his research, and that he feared for his life. My father said that he and everyone else in his expedition had been reportedly murdered by bandits. Dad said that perhaps they hadn't been ordinary bandits after all." Speaking about murder brought back the tears which had not been far away in any case. James offered to make her some tea, and asked Rashid if he could allow them a break.

"Of course. I will wait outside until you are ready. You have my sincere sympathy, miss Templegate."

James closed the door behind Rashid. "If this is getting too much for you," he began.

"It's okay, James, thank you. I want the bastard caught, even if I have to be questioned all day by creepy cops."

James gave her a sympathetic smile as he poured hot water into two mugs. "He is a bit spooky, isn't he?" He swirled the teabags around.

"The people who mur . . . murdered Ludwig. Could they be the same who . . ." her voice choked off.

James handed her a steaming mug. "That was over a century ago, Penny. I expect we're dealing with ordinary thieves here. There's a booming trade in smuggled antiquities."

That made Penny think of Bo and Vinnie. Smuggling relics . . . yes, she could imagine them being involved in something like that. Not a vicious type of crime; almost a kind of romantic adventure. Was that why they had joined the dig? To steal whatever finds she and her father made? The idea made her angry. She wanted to speak to Bo about this. Should she tell Rashid about the Americans? Despite her anger, she still felt reluctant to do so; besides, it would give her something to threaten Bo with whenever she did get to confront him. Could Bo and Vinnie have been in some way involved in her father's murder? Maybe not directly, but after all, if they and the murderer were in the same business . . . not that she knew for certain that they were. Bo's excuse for being there last night had been pretty lame, and yet, as she remembered the look on his face as he'd struggled to tell her, she found that she believed him. There was also the fact that, if Bo had been telling the truth about the intruder he had shot and injured, then he had saved her life . . .

Penny finished her tea and told James that she was ready to continue with the interview. Rashid resumed by questioning her closely about the contents of the documents in the box. She thought about the murder of Ludwig, and the fact that not only had the box's contents been the only things stolen, but that the killer had also destroyed the hard drive of her father's PC. She mentioned this to Rashid, but he seemed far more interested in talking about the contents of the scrolls. Penny told him every detail she remembered about Pharaoh Nephren-Ka and his temple to Nuy-har-lut-hotep.

"Was there any mention of a _cult_ of Nyarlathotep?" Rashid asked.

Penny stared at him. That harsher, more Arabic pronunciation of the name had rolled off his tongue with easy familiarity.

"You've already heard of this god of chaos?" she asked.

Rashid was taken aback. Penny looked into his dark eyes and saw that he knew he had made a mistake. He turned to James.

"Is it possible that I might speak to miss Templegate alone, mister Spencer?"

James gave Penny a concerned look. "Is that okay with you, Penny?"

She nodded.

"I'll be right outside," he said, whether to reassure her, or as a warning to Rashid, she wasn't sure. He hesitated in the doorway, then stepped out and closed the door.

Rashid leaned towards Penny and spoke in a low voice. "May I rely on your discretion, miss Templegate? My investigation may be compromised if I can not."

"I wouldn't do anything to hamper the investigation of my father's murder," she said with a note of restrained anger in her voice. "You're not an ordinary policeman, are you?"

"My . . . department has been investigating a cult for many years now. They are worshippers of Nyarlathotep, he who is sometimes known as 'the crawling chaos'. We know them as Al Abaadh mn Alfwdha, the cult of chaos, but we believe that their true name, their secret name, would be in a very much older language. It was they who were responsible for the killings of the Ludwig expedition, and certain circumstances of this current case lead us strongly to suspect their involvement. So you see, I have 'laid my cards upon your table', yes? I show trust to you. Perhaps now you will tell me those things of which you have not yet spoken?"

"I've told you everything I can think of which could possibly be relevant. Do you really think I would hold back _anything_ that might help you find my father's killer?" Penny was annoyed to find that she was crying again.

Rashid inclined his head. "My apologies, miss Templegate. Perhaps we have spoken sufficiently for the present. We will speak again before you leave Egypt."

Penny swiped at her eyes. "I won't be leaving until the killer is caught."

"I regret to say that it may not be possible to extend your stay in my country. This we will also discuss before your departure." Rashid stood. "May I once again express my condolences for your tragic loss. I assure you that I will do everything in my power in order to bring those responsible to justice." He gave her a slight bow, then walked to the trailer's door and let himself out.

~~~{~{**{{OO}}**}~}~~~

Penny didn't see Bo again before having to return to England. The police wouldn't allow any of the remaining Europeans to leave the site, and escorted them to the airport when it was time to depart. She didn't see Rashid again, either.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Bo stood on the sidewalk and looked around. People walked past without looking at him. He couldn't quite grasp that he was back in the normal world. When he thought about where he'd just come from, he felt a jolt of fear. Vinnie was dead. And he had to find someone called Setepenra Templegate, or he'd be sucked back into the nightmare as mysteriously as he'd been spat out of it. Templegate . . . that was the name of the professor dude, Penny's Pop. Penny . . . could that be short for Setepenra? He guessed that must be it. But how the fuck am I gonna find her? he thought. I don't even know what city this is.

A red double-decker bus roared past.

This could be any damn city in the world. Hang on, _think_, dude. Mister Tall-dark-and-gruesome must have sent me here, specifically, for a reason. He looked around again, then looked up at the building he was standing in front of. There was a sign over a doorway to the left of the doorway he had just emerged from, engraved in letters of gold: 'KING EDWARD THE SEVENTH'S GALLERIES.' Two small signs between the doorways were headed 'The British Museum'. So I guess I must be in Britain, he thought. Is that the same as England?

He looked at the objects he was carrying; a wooden box and a scroll. A museum would have Egyptian stuff, wouldn't it? Like mummies and shit? And Penny was an archaeologist . . . but wasn't she still in Egypt? She could have gone back to England, he supposed . . . or maybe the grim dude had transported him through time as well as space. Anything seemed possible.

"Fuck it," he said aloud, earning a disapproving look from a passing guy in a business suit. "And fuck you too," he added. The guy hurried on. Bo stepped through the doorway into the museum.

The lobby was dimly lit. Most of the light came from a large circular hole in the ceiling where Bo could see a few people walking by on the floor above. Directly in front of him was a floor plan. It showed two locations for Ancient Egypt; room four on the ground floor, and rooms sixty-one to sixty-six on the upper floor. He decided to start with room four.

He took the stairs on the right, and emerged in a gallery full of African-looking stuff. The light here was brighter, but weirdly aqueous, greenish. As he approached the doorway on the far side, he noticed an advert for the Egyptian Book of the Dead on the left. He shuddered and hurried on. There was a shop facing him, set into a large circular structure - a building within the building. He went left, past more ads for the Book of the Dead. There were a couple of totem poles on the left, and a sign for toilets on the right; he fixed their location in his memory, just in case.

He came to a doorway between two columns in the wall facing the circular structure: this should be room four. Inside, there was nothing that looked Egyptian; the room looked like a library without books - a lot of small glass cases lined the walls, with pots of various sizes in them. Bo realised he was on the wrong side of the round building; the layout of this place was confusing. He walked round to the front of the circular structure, where wide steps curved up on either side. Looking up, he noticed the glass geodesic-dome roof. Just then, the sun came out from behind the clouds and flooded the Great Court with light. There was an information stand which sold maps and guidebooks, but that was no use to him as he had no money. Hanging down the wall behind were banners advertising the Book of the Dead - he wished they wouldn't. Continuing around the circular building, he spotted an Egyptian-style stone head on a pedestal next to a doorway. This must be room four.

The Egyptian artefacts gave Bo the creeping horrors. He didn't want to see, or even think about, anything Egyptian ever again. He couldn't think about what had happened to Vinnie, or about the tall figure in the cave; he felt that if he did, he would freak out. He had to focus on finding Penny, and giving her the box and scroll, which he couldn't wait to get rid of. He looked around, hoping to see her. There were plenty of people, but none of them was Penny. He was going to have to look around the whole place.

Room four was a long gallery that stretched off to right and left. Bo was standing in front of a glass case containing the Rosetta stone; he turned right and walked past a stone boat, a sarcophagus and a half-broken bust that loomed over him in a sinister way. Although he was trying not to look at the exhibits, he couldn't help noticing a carving that seemed very substandard. The face looked like something out of a carnival freakshow. He read the sign next to it: it was the sarcophagus lid of some dude called Setau. Maybe he had actually looked like that? Nah, no microcephalic retard would get to have a fancy sarcophagus, would he? Don't get distracted, he reminded himself, you're lookin for Penny. Even as he thought that, his attention was caught by a statue of a small man with an enormous sheep on his head - or possibly a sheep with a man-shaped beard. He walked on past stone columns and sarcophagi until he came to a black granite shape which stopped him cold. It was by far the creepiest thing in this entire collection of creepy stuff. He read the label: 'Colossal Scarab'. Not as colossal as the one he'd seen in the hangar . . . Pull yourself together, dude, he thought. Focus!

He came to the end of the gallery. There was a doorway leading into another gallery. He looked in, and saw non-Egyptian stuff. A sign said 'Assyria, Nineveh'. Bo hurried back through the gallery and past the Rosetta stone to check out the other half of room four. There was more of the same: creepy stone heads, statues, slabs of carved rock. At the far end he came to a cool snarly lion statue, labelled 'Assyrian'. Penny wasn't in room four: upstairs for rooms sixty-one to sixty-six, then.

Bo had another look at the map at the front of the Great Court. He would have to go up one of the stairways that curved up the wall of the circular building; left or right, it didn't matter - they both led to the same place. At the top of the first flight, a level gallery led round to another flight. He leaned against the low wall and looked down. He could see, through windows in the wall opposite, into the room he had just come from. The next flight of steps was narrower, and came to an open-plan cafe under a semicircular canopy at the rear of the round building. Opposite was a short bridge, with glass sides and floor, which led to a low doorway. Bo stepped through and found another map, which showed that he was in the Middle East gallery, which led off to left and right. There was another doorway in the opposite wall which led to the Egyptian gallery, again a series of rooms stretching off to left and right. Bo turned left. He was hurrying now; the number of tourists seemed to have increased, which wasn't going to make it any easier to spot Penny. The rooms were full of glass cases, mostly sarcophagi on a less grand scale than the ones in room four. Behind the final display were a pair of tall wooden doors. Bo turned back and weaved his way through the tourists, getting a few annoyed looks as he got in the way of the photos they were taking with their cellphones. The last two rooms at the other end of the gallery were brighter because of the peaked skylights in the centres of their ceilings. Bo noticed a skeleton curled up in a sort of basket, and glanced at the label: 'Basketwork coffin, 3000BC'. Amazing that a reed basket could last 5000 years without turning to dust, he thought. There was a wall of carved stone blocks at the end of the room. Well, that's it, then. She's not here.

Bo returned to the cafe on the other side of the glass bridge. He had decided to wait there and watch for Penny. He couldn't think of anything else he could do. He sat at a table next to the low wall, so that he could see into the room on the other side of the glass bridge.

After about ten minutes, one of the staff approached him.

"Can I get you anything, sir?"

Bo looked at the young guy's disapproving face. He had managed to make his polite inquiry sound like "Why don't you fuck off if you're not going to buy anything?"

"No thanks. I'm waitin for someone." Bo gave him a challenging look which said, 'Go on, piss me off, motherfucker'. The guy decided to leave him to it.

Another ten minutes went by. Bo wished he had money to buy something. Not just to legitimise his presence at the cafe table, but because he was desperately hungry and thirsty. Should he ask for a glass of water? Or might that provoke them into chucking him out?

"Excuse me, sir. Can I help you?" A guy in a uniform approached him; a security guard, or maybe a whatyoucallem, a curate? The cafe staff must have called for him. Bo looked down at himself, suddenly realising that he was covered in dust and dressed for the desert. He checked his belt, and was relieved to see that his pistol was no longer tucked into it - that really would have got him in the shit.

"I'm lookin for someone. Setepenra Templegate - she's an archaeologist? I have to give her this stuff." He picked up the box and scroll, and placed them on the table.

The security guard glanced at the objects - then looked more closely.

"If you wouldn't mind waiting a few minutes, I'll see if I can get someone to come and speak with you, sir."

The guard walked a short distance away, unclipped a radio from his belt and spoke into it. He remained at a distance, occasionally glancing at Bo, until after several minutes another security guard emerged from the doorway opposite and across the glass bridge. She was a _babe_. She even smiled at Bo as she approached.

"I can give miss Templegate a message, sir," she said. "Who should I say is asking to see her?"

"Tell her . . ." It occurred to Bo that Penny might have heard about the blag. Damn. He'd better not give his name. "Tell her I've got a coupla priceless Egyptian relics for her. I'll wait here." Bo leaned back in his seat.

Penny was working in the prints and drawings study room rather than the Egyptian study room. It wasn't far from the Egyptian rooms, and she much preferred it because it was larger and more atmospheric; lots of beautifully polished wood, glass-fronted document drawers lining the walls, an upper wooden-railed gallery around three walls and at the other end of the room, two stone pillars framing an annexe with a large, peaked window. The cracked plaster of the ceiling curved in towards a peaked glass roof which gave plenty of light. It was Penny's favourite room in the museum.

"Miss Templegate?" a husky voice said quietly.

Penny looked up from her work to see the study room's supervisor, who she still thought of as 'the scary lady', despite the fact that she had long since come to realise that she was in fact a friendly and helpful person. She did look rather stern: severely dressed in black, with black hair and a pale unmade-up face. She also looked worried.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry to interrupt your work, but apparently there's a gentleman waiting in the Court restaurant who wants to speak to you." She gestured towards one of the younger security guards who was standing next to the photocopiers, and beckoned to her.

"There's an American gentleman who is looking for you, miss Templegate," the security guard told Penny. "He asked me to inform you that he has, er, 'a couple of priceless Egyptian relics for you'."

"What? He . . . who is he?"

"I'm afraid he didn't give his name. I have to say, he looked rather disreputable."

Penny was baffled. "Relics, you said? Did you see these relics?"

"Yes, ma'am. It was scroll and a wooden box."

Penny stood up so fast that half her documents fell to the floor.

"A box? How big was this box?"

The security guard looked alarmed by her reaction. "It was about two feet long by one foot squ-"

"Take me to him!"


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Aqrba sat on the toilet in the hotel room's en suite bathroom. He was preparing to perform the Rite of Ibn Ghazi; England was an unfamiliar country, and it would take too long to locate the Setepenra woman by conventional means.

He was down to the last joint of his last toe; he couldn't use the big toes because that would affect his mobility, but the smaller toes could be sacrificed, one joint at a time. The next time he needed to perform the Rite, he would have to use a joint from the little finger of his left hand.

{{{{{}}}}}

Aqrba had been initiated into Al Abaadh mn Alfwdha at puberty. He had been a street urchin; an acolyte had taken him from the streets to the Hidden Temple and he had been subjected to the Ritual of Purification. He later learned that the ritual was also a test; those who failed - nearly all - were used as sacrifices in the Great Rite of Nyarlathotep. Those who passed were intiated as novices. Aqrba had passed the test because he had been one of the toughest and most vicious of the street kids of Cairo - attributes which could be of use to Al Abaadh mn Alfwdha. He had quickly risen to the rank of Exalted Acolyte, and had become the cult's most efficient assassin.

The Rite of Ibn Ghazi was an essential aid to his work, but every time he had to perform it, he hoped it would be the last.

{{{{{}}}}}

Aqrba tested the pen, then placed it and the pad of paper near to hand. He intoned a prayer to the Faceless One, raised the crystal bottle containing the Elixir of Ibn Ghazi to his lips and swallowed a mouthful of the vile potion. After less than a minute, he began to feel nauseous, and to see sparkles of coloured light. The nausea built quickly. He hurried to pick up the surgical shears, and clamped their blades around the remaining joint of his last small toe. He set his jaw, to refrain from crying out, then closed the handles of the shears. The pain was intense, more so than an injury received in combat, since there was less adrenalin to counteract it. He picked up the pathetic nugget of flesh and swallowed it. His head spiralled with nausea and he felt his gorge rise; he swallowed the saliva flooding his mouth and intoned the final incantation. The air around him was aflame with wild colours. He vomited onto the floor. Gasping for breath, sweat streaming down his face, he picked up the pen and paper and began to sketch the mess on the floor. As he did so, patterns squirmed in the pool of vomit and resolved into something like a map . . . a street map. Symbols became apparent, the ugly, angular letters of the infidel. 'Englefield rd'. The street was lined on both sides with boxes; in one of these lay his regurgitated toe joint. He made note of its exact position, then placed the pad of paper to one side. He tried to stand, intending to drink from the cold water tap on the sink, but staggered and fell against the bathroom door. He slid to the floor and shadows closed over him in the merciful embrace of unconsciousness.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Despite the fact that she had half-expected her mystery visitor to be him, Penny was still stunned to see Bo. He looked terrible, haggard and exhausted. He also looked completely out of place. He glanced up as Penny approached.

"Penny! Thank fuck!"

Rather than stepping over the low wall, she walked round to the cafe entrance and came to sit with him. He pushed the box across the table towards her. "Take this, and this," he added as he placed the scroll on top of the box. He let out an enormous sigh of relief, then covered his face with his hands. His shoulders heaved.

"Bo? Are you alright?" Penny came around the table, knelt down, and put a hand on his shoulder. "Bo. Talk to me."

He just shook his head.

"Do you require assistance, miss Templegate?" the security guard asked.

"No . . . yes. Could you possibly bring me my documents, and my laptop, please? Thank you." She pulled a chair close, sat down next to Bo and put her arm around his shoulders. "Let me get you out of here. Come on."

**~~~{OO}~~~**

They stood outside the museum while Penny waited to hail a taxi. Bo had looked baffled as they walked out of the main entrance. "It didn't look like this when I came in." Penny had told him that he must have come in through the Montague Place entrance. She was worried; Bo seemed very disoriented and distressed. He wouldn't meet her eyes or answer her questions. He was holding her laptop and her document case - he had obviously not wanted to touch the box or scroll. Despite her concern for him, Penny couldn't help wondering about the box. It was heavy. Whatever it contained, it was something other than the contents of the box her father had found; perhaps it wasn't even the same box, although it looked identical.

A taxi came by with its 'for hire' sign lit. She hailed it, and nudged Bo as it pulled up to the kerb. "Taxi, Bo."

He tucked the document case under his left arm and opened the door for her. She got in; he followed and slumped heavily into the seat next to her.

"Where to, love?" the driver asked.

"Islington, please. Englefield road."

As the taxi pulled away, she took a closer look at Bo. He was covered in dust, almost as if he had come straight from the Egyptian desert. His face looked drawn, and there was a wild look in his eyes that hadn't been there when she'd met him before. She had already noticed the livid red mark on the side of his face; it looked like a burn.

"Bo. Are you going to tell me what happened? Please talk to me."

He reluctantly met her eyes. "I need a drink."

"We can stop off at a pub. I don't keep drink at home."

"No, I mean I need water. _Ordinary_ water."

Penny was puzzled by the stress he put on the word 'ordinary'.

"And food. I need food. And sleep, oh God I need sleep. If I can ever sleep again."

**~~~{OO}~~~**

In the kitchen of her flat, Penny watched as Bo drank glass after glass of water.

"What would you like to eat?"

"I would kill for a cheeseburger."

Penny was disturbed by his choice of phrase. She still harboured some suspicion that he might have been involved in some way with her father's murder. And yet, having seen him in such a pathetic state, she couldn't believe that.

"Bo. You know my father was murdered?"

He gaped at her.

"You didn't know?"

"Penny . . ." He let out a moan of anguish. "No. No more." He swayed on his feet and Penny realised he was more than exhausted - he was close to collapse. What had happened to him?

"Come and sit down." She led him to a chair at the kitchen table and stood behind him, rubbing his back. "We won't talk about anything until you've eaten and had a shower - and some sleep." She wished she hadn't said anything.

~~~{OO}~~~

Bo sat in silence while she made four of her special burgers; one for her, two for him, and a spare one in case he was still hungry. She grilled four premium grillsteaks and stacked wafer-thin slices of raw onion onto the bases of sesame seed buns. When the grillsteaks were done, she placed them on the buns and put slices of tomato on top, covered with slabs of extra mature cheddar. She put them back under the grill to melt the cheese and slathered Thousand Island dressing onto the buns' top halves. When the cheese was dripping down the sides of the grillsteaks, she took them out of the grill and squashed the tops of the buns firmly onto them. She put a plate with two burgers on it in front of Bo. He snatched up one of the burgers and his teeth snapped into it like a beartrap. Grease and sauce dribbled down his chin as he devoured it.

"Good?" She asked.

"Mmmm." He nodded vigorously, rammed the last of the burger into his mouth and picked up the second one. She was still only halfway through her own burger when he'd finished his second. She swallowed a bite.

"Could you manage another one?"

"Hell, yeah. These are the best burgers I ever had! How do you make that cheese?"

"Um . . . I don't. I just buy it."

He smiled. It was a wan, tired smile, but at least it was there. "I am so dumb."

**~~~{OO}~~~**

When he'd finished eating, she walked him to the shower and told him to leave his clothes outside the bathroom door. Once she heard the hiss of the water, she came and got his clothes and put them into the washing machine. If she could get him to sleep, she could probably get his clothes dry by the time he woke up, by draping them on the radiators and turning the central heating right up. She remembered the fantasy she'd had at the dig of following him into the shower; it was rather ironic that she now had him naked in her own shower, and the only feelings she had towards him were maternal.

Once Penny had put disinfectant on the burn on Bo's face, and on the cut on his arm, she settled him in her bed and returned to the kitchen. She cleaned the tabletop and placed the scroll and box Bo had given her on it. She picked up the scroll and examined the wax seal, photographed it with her digital camera, then carefully peeled it away with a butter knife. The wax was black, and bore the imprint of a symbol she had never seen before. She unrolled the papyrus on the kitchen table, after double-checking that the surface was scrupulously clean.

The scroll was written in hieratic script, the simpler form of ancient Egyptian writing. To Penny's amazement, it gave instructions on how to locate the temple of Nephren-Ka. As she read on, however, she began to feel disappointed; this was some kind of mystic nonsense. The scroll instructed the seeker to perform an elaborate magic ritual, 'to awaken the shining (untranslatable)' which would then 'show the way' to the temple. 'The shining something'? Hadn't there been something similar mentioned in the fifth scroll from her father's box? Perhaps all this was allegorical? She would have to get the scroll dated, in any case; it might not be genuine - it seemed much too well preserved. There was a signature at the bottom of the scroll: Ny har lut hotep. Penny stared at the name. Where had Bo got this from? She needed to ask him as soon as possible. She had decided to let him sleep before she questioned him, as he was clearly traumatised, so she would have to wait. She looked at the signature again, shuddered, then put the scroll to one side.

The box was next. Penny carefully scraped away the pitch and levered off the lid. Scarab beetles flooded out of the box and scurried all over the tabletop. Penny screamed and jumped away.

Bo ran into the kitchen, completely naked.

"Penny! What happened?"

She gestured towards the table. There was not a single scarab to be seen.

"There were . . . I saw them! They were there!"

Bo picked up a tea-towel and held it in front of his genitals. This struck Penny as funny, and she began to laugh. Her laughter quickly turned into crying.

"Penny?"

"I'm sorry. It scared the living daylights out of me. Scarabs! When I opened the box. Hundreds of scarabs came out. But they're not there now. I definitely saw them!"

"I believe you." Penny could see that he really meant it. "I didn't wanna tell you about what happened to me. I thought you'd think I was crazy. Maybe you will anyway. But disappearin scarabs ain't nothin by comparison. Is there anythin else in the box?"

"I haven't looked."

"Wait while I go get a towel or somethin."

Penny couldn't help but look as he walked out of the kitchen. Muscular buttocks, she thought, and giggled. I am totally losing it. She managed to stifle the giggles before he returned with her pink fluffy towel wrapped around his waist.

"Very fetching."

He smiled. "Fetchin. Is that good?"

"On the whole, yes." She gave the box a fearful glance. "Would you look for me?"

Bo hesitated. "Okay, I'll look, but I ain't touchin the thing."

"Why? You acted like you were scared of the box and the scroll before."

"It's hard to explain. A long story. Tall, too." He leaned over and peeked into the box, staying as far away from it as possible. "It's a . . . well, it's another box. Weird shape. Yellow metal, but not gold. Not like any gold I ever seen, anyway."

Penny inched forwards and peered in.

"There's carvings all over it, but I can't make them out. I'd have to take it out of the box . . ."

"I don't think you should touch it, I really don't."

"I've got an idea." Penny opened a drawer and pulled out a carving knife. She held it at arm's length and tried to slide it under the wooden box, which just slid along the tabletop. "Hang on." She fetched a rolling pin and handed it to Bo. "You hold it still while I tip it over."

Bo pushed one end of the rolling pin against one side of the box while Penny slid the knife under the other side and tipped the box over. She then came round to Bo's side of the table and used the knife to hook the yellow box out onto the tabletop. She pushed the wooden box away and crouched down to look more closely at the metal box.

"It certainly is a weird shape. And these carvings are horrible. They're like . . . alien monsters or something."

"Come away." Penny saw that Bo was terrified. "Don't touch it, don't even _think_ about openin it."

**~~~{OO}~~~**

Bo no longer wanted to sleep, so Penny made coffee and they sat in the living room. Penny told him about the contents of the scroll.

"Why the fuck would you wanna find that temple? I wouldn't go back there if you put a fuckin gun to my head."

"Two reasons. One, I want to continue my father's work, and two . . . what do you mean, you wouldn't go _back_ there?"

"You asked what happened to me, but you never asked me where I got _that_ shit." Bo gestured towards the kitchen.

Of course Penny had wondered about that. She already suspected that Bo and Vinnie had been in Egypt to steal relics, and was intending to ask Bo about it at some point. But there was so much else they needed to talk about first. "So, are you ready to tell me?"

Bo sighed. "No. Not really. But I'll try." He heaved a deep breath. "It all started when Vinnie came up with this crazy-ass scheme, smugglin relics outta Egypt-"

Knew it, Penny thought. "Where is Vinnie? Is he in England too?"

"Vinnie . . ." Bo's face crumpled. "Vinnie's dead." Suddenly he was crying, in that male way - struggling to repress it, every sob wrenched out like pulling teeth. Penny could tell Bo had been through something extraordinarily bad, but she was beginning to realise that it might be worse than she had imagined.

Bo made an effort to pull himself together. "Dammit." He swiped angrily at his eyes. "You are totally _not_ gonna believe a word of this. You're gonna think I've gone schizo. I mean it, you really will think I'm insane if I-"

"Just tell me."

Bo told her.

**~~~{OO}~~~**

". . . then I saw that I was standin in front of a museum, so I figured that's where I'd find you."

Penny couldn't think how to react to what she'd just heard. It was ridiculously fantastical, and yet she found that she believed every word. Bo was a lovely guy, but nowhere near imaginative enough to make up a story like that. Also, she'd seen the look in his eyes, the mark on his face, the dust on his clothes . . . and his tears. Bo wasn't the type to cry - far from it. He had been genuinely traumatised, and to an extraordinary extent.

"So, you think I'm crazy, right?" Bo looked anxious.

"No, I don't think you're crazy. I do believe you. Now I'm trying to reassess everything I thought I knew about the world."

"You believe me?" Bo looked pathetically relieved. Then he laughed. "You must be outta your mind!"

"If I'm not now, I probably soon will be. But. That box. The scarabs . . ." She shook herself. "Bo, there's one other thing I have to ask you. Why did you and Vinnie have guns?"

"The Libyan dude had them delivered to us."

"No, I mean, what did you need guns _for_?"

"Huh?" Bo looked completely baffled by the question.

Of course, Penny thought. He's an American.

Bo changed the subject. "Penny. I'm not sure I did the right thing, bringin that stuff to you. I want you to get rid of it, and forget about the damn temple. I don't want you mixed up in this. I'd rather go back there and 'die the death', like the big creepo threatened, than have anythin happen to you." He looked at the swollen cut on his left forearm, as if he was expecting something unspeakable to sprout from it at any moment. Penny realised he was sincere.

"I was going to tell you the second reason why I have to continue with this. I can't let the bastard who killed my father get away with it. He killed him to prevent him from finding the temple. I have to know why it's so important to keep this temple secret, why this cult thinks it's worth murdering for." Her voice cracked on the last two words.

"I'm so sorry about your Pop. I could see you guys were very close. What happened, exactly? Are you able to talk about it?"

Penny wiped at her tears. "The guy you shot at the dig, it must have been. He . . . he cut my Dad's _throat!_" Something snapped inside her, and she wept bitterly; painful, heaving sobs wracking her body until she could hardly breathe. Bo held her and stroked her hair. Eventually, she pulled away from him and went into the kitchen to wash her face. Bo sat and fidgeted as he listened to the sounds of coffee being made. She came back into the sitting room and handed him a mug.

"We don't have to talk about this now if you're not ready," he told her.

Penny took a deep breath. "I have to talk about this. The killer was some kind of cultist. At first, the Egyptian police thought it was just thieves, because they took the documents we found, but they also trashed Dad's computer, so it was obviously more than just theft. Then some sort of government spook took over. He wanted to know all about the scrolls, and he mentioned this cult, the 'cult of chaos', who worship Nuy-har-lut-hotep. Only, he pronounced it 'Nyarlathotep'. There's a signature on the bottom of the scroll you brought me, that same name, but of course it's supposed to be the name of a god, so . . ." She stopped, thinking of the inhuman figure that Bo had described. "You don't think . . . ?"

"The tall dude?" Bo had to put his coffee down because his hands were shaking. "A fuckin _tentacle _came out of his face!" He pointed to the swollen cut on his arm. "I dunno what the fuck he was, but he sure wasn't human. And he made some kinda portal from Egypt to here. If that ain't a god-like power . . ."

"And yet he seems to need our help."

"Well he can su- . . ." Bo stopped. He'd evidently decided not to finish that sentence. He changed the subject. "So, what was in these scrolls you found?"

"They told the story of Nephren-Ka, a Pharaoh so evil that everything about him had been expunged from history." Penny told him the story that had been recounted in the scrolls. "I'm wondering, now, why this . . . entity you encountered would want me to find the temple. You could be right that it would be better left unfound."

"I'm so far outta my depth here," Bo said, shaking his head. "We're dealin with supernatural shit, somethin beyond human powers of understandin."

"But, Bo: _someone_ has to deal with it. I don't think ignoring it is going to be an option." Penny thought for a while. "We're going to need help. Uncle David told me I could turn to him if I needed anything . . . and we should probably hire a professional investigator . . . well, when I say 'we', I don't mean that you have to-"

"Hey. I'm with you all the way on this. I don't want you to go to that fuckin temple, but if you are gonna go, I'm goin with you."

**~~~{OO}~~~**

Aqrba listened with growing amazement. The American fool had been to the temple? And Nyarlathotep had actually manifested Himself to him? This couldn't be, and yet he couldn't doubt it. If the Faceless One did indeed want the infidels to find the temple, then he would have to abort his mission. He would have to consult his superiors at Al Abaadh mn Alfwdha. Could it be that the stars would soon be right once more?

He dismantled the eavesdropping equipment, an infrared laser which picked up vibrations from the window of Setepenra's flat on the opposite side of the road. As he packed the gear into its fitted briefcase, he glanced at the couple who lay in a pool of blood on the other side of the room and intoned a brief prayer, dedicating their sacrificed lives to his god.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Violet Maynard sat at her desk, idly surfing the Internet. She was trying to think of something to type into the search engine, but her thoughts kept going back to what she had overheard that morning at the gym. She had walked into the changing room from the showers just as two of the other members were discussing her. What had pissed her off wasn't that one was warning the other that she was a 'dyke', but that she had referred to her as 'Violent Vi'. It seemed that the nickname would always follow her. Of course, she'd always felt that the name 'Violet' didn't suit her at all, but no way would she ever consider changing it - that would be too much like backing down, and Violet never backed down. That attitude was part of what had ended her army career. She had risen to the rank of sergeant, and had passed selection for the SAS, the first female soldier ever to do so. But the macho culture at Hereford had been even worse than the misogyny she had faced in the Paras, and her refusal to knuckle under had only served as further provocation - as if being a woman wasn't enough of an irritant to the types who felt that females shouldn't have a combat role in the Forces. Admin, yes: they didn't mind women doing the typing or making the tea. Vi couldn't just shrug off their abuse as 'a bit of banter' - she would confront any idiot that made sexist comments or creepy innuendos and call them out on it every time. She had only served ten weeks in her new regiment before an unfortunate incident occurred when she had ended up breaking another sergeant's nose . . . and teeth, and jaw, and cheekbone, and five ribs, and his left wrist. Because of the nature of the provocation, she had been allowed to resign rather than face charges, which was worse for her than a spell in the glasshouse would have been. The army was everything to her; she didn't know what the hell she would do with herself in Civvy Street. She considered, and rejected, the police and private security - she would only come up against the same macho bullshit, and would be bound to run into a lot of ex-army assholes. She needed a real change of direction.

After trying several jobs, none of which she had been able to stand for more than a couple of weeks, she was flipping through the Yellow Pages, hoping something might catch her eye, when something did: the section headed 'Private Investigators'. She liked the idea of that, particularly the fact that she would be self-employed. The reality had been a bit of a disappointment.

Lost pets; following errant husbands, or finding absent fathers; installing security cameras for harassed neighbours - it was hardly Philip Marlowe.

Her phone rang.

"Maynard Investigations."

"Hello. My name is Setepenra Templegate. I need to hire a private investigator."

Interesting name, Violet thought. Sounds partly foreign, but no trace of accent in the voice; pure middle-class English. "Violet Maynard. How may I help you, miss Templegate?"

"I . . . my father . . . my father was murdered. In Egypt. I need to know how the investigation is progressing, but the Egyptian authorities wouldn't allow me to stay in the country, and I haven't been able to get through to anyone in the Egyptian police. I tried calling the British embassy, but the person I spoke to there hasn't been able to get anything out of the police either. He told me they've been giving him the runaround, and that he's had a call to tell him it isn't 'appropriate' to enquire into the matter at this stage. Do you think you'd be able to help me?"

"I'm sure there must be something we can do." Violet was excited, but she didn't allow it to show in her tone of voice. Murder! In Egypt! This is more like it, she thought. "Can I take your details?"

As the client spelled out her name, Violet typed it into the search box. Among the usual results, Facebook, etc, were several references to Egyptology, and a Professor Templegate in particular; that must be the father - the victim.

"Can you give me any more details regarding the circumstances of the crime?" she asked.

"Could we talk about it face to face? I'd really rather not discuss it over the phone."

Civilians, Violet thought. Did the woman really think that her phone might be tapped? "Certainly, miss Templegate. When would be a good time for you?"

"As soon as possible, if that's okay."

"Of course." Violet didn't want to admit that she had no other appointments. She looked at the clock: 1237. She should get some lunch. "I could fit you in today at fifteen hundred hours - three pee em. If that would suit you?"

"Thank you." The woman sounded pathetically grateful. "That would be ideal."

"Very well then, miss Templegate. I look forward to seeing you at three o'clock today."

Violet hung up the phone and looked at the computer screen. A respected Egyptologist, murdered in Egypt, Egyptian authorities playing hard-to-get; this was going to be interesting.

When the bell rang at three o'clock, Violet clicked on the remote webcam she had installed by the street door. There were two people; a young woman, presumably miss Templegate, and a young man who she had probably brought along for moral support. Violet pressed the intercom button. "Maynard Investigations."

"Setepenra Templegate. I have an appointment." Her voice crackled, distorted by the cheap intercom system and half-obscured by traffic noise.

"Come straight up, miss Templegate." Violet buzzed her in.

Violet waited until she heard the outer door open, then stepped from her office into the waiting room. There was seating for up to half a dozen people - not that she'd ever had more than two people in at any one time - and a desk set up to look as if she had a secretary who had just popped out for a minute.

"Miss Templegate? Please come in." Violet stood aside and held the door while the client and her companion entered, then followed them in and closed the door. "Please, take a seat." She sat behind her desk and looked them over. The woman was nervous, agitated. The young man - boyfriend? There was an almost visible chemistry between the pair of them - had a look in his eyes which seemed to Violet to be very similar to the look of combat fatigue. Intriguing. "Perhaps we could start by your giving me a clearer idea of the sort of results you're looking for," she told the woman. "A progress report on an ongoing investigation isn't likely to tell you much that would be of any help to you. I doubt that what little information I could obtain - possibly whether or not they have any definite suspects, for instance - would justify the travel expenses. It would certainly be necessary for me to go to Egypt myself in order to find anything out. There's only so much you can do over the phone, or on the Internet."

"We need to go to Egypt, too," the woman said. "I want to continue my father's research."

Well, that was unexpected. "When we spoke earlier, you told me that you hadn't been permitted to stay in the country, miss Templegate. It seems unlikely that you would be granted a visa, in that case."

"I know. But . . ." she glanced at her companion, "aren't there ways round that?"

"I need you to explicitly state what you are suggesting," Violet said carefully. "I can't suggest anything myself which might be illegal."

The young man spoke up. "We'd need fake passports, ma'am, and fake ID."

Violet sat back in her chair. "Miss Templegate didn't introduce us, mister . . . ?"

"Bo. Beauregarde Cale, from Iowa. My folks were from Louisiana," he added, as if by way of explanation.

"And what is your interest in the case, mister Cale?"

"You can call me Bo, ma'am. You call me mister Cale, I feel like I'm bein arrested. I'm goin to Egypt with Penny here, to look after her."

"Bo already saved my life once," the woman said.

"I think you ought to tell me the whole story, right from the beginning," Violet said, addressing them both. "I'm still not entirely clear what you want from me, but if it will involve anything . . . irregular, I need to know everything before I decide whether or not I can help you."

Violet listened and jotted down notes as the woman explained the purpose of the dig, the find, her father's murder, her companion's intervention when the killer had come for her, the questions from the spook Rashid. Violet asked for clarification regarding the cult's previous victim, the German archaeologist Ludwig, then allowed the woman to continue. When she had finished, Violet turned to the American.

"Can I ask what you were doing in Egypt, mister Cale? You obviously weren't there as an archaeologist if you were carrying a gun."

"Call me Bo. Me and my buddy, Vinnie, we were there to steal relics and smuggle them over the border to Libya. We had a contact there."

Violet let out a bark of laughter before she could stop herself. "Well, thank you for your frankness, mist- . . . Bo. Miss Templegate; were you aware that this young man was there to steal from the dig?"

"Not at the time. Bo told me later, after we met up at the British Museum. I had suspected something, though."

"And you're okay with that?"

The woman frowned at her companion. "Not exactly. But so much else has happened . . ."

"Why do I feel that there's a lot more to this, a lot more that you're not telling me? If you want my help, you need to take me into your confidence. I'm afraid I won't be able to take the case otherwise."

It was the American who answered. "The temple that Penny's pop was lookin for? I've been there. My buddy - Vinnie - got killed there. It's kinda hard for me to talk about. I saw a whole lotta stuff I couldn't understand. And I can't describe it in any way that would make sense to you, ma'am, cos it don't even make any sense to me."

"If mister Cale has been to this temple, why do you say you need to 'find' it? Surely, now you know where it is?" Violet asked the woman.

"It ain't that simple, ma'am," the American replied for her. "Me and Vinnie was lost when we found it, cos we'd crashed the truck, and I'm not . . . I mean, I don't exactly know how I got away. I guess I was kinda traumatised."

Well, that rings true, at least, Violet thought. She drummed her fingers on the edge of the desk and chewed her lip. A forgotten pharaoh, a lost temple, a secret cult, a murder and an American criminal with a dead 'buddy' and a messed-up head. And they're asking me to obtain false passports and ID. Is there anything I _don't_ love about this?

"Let's talk about fees."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

When Penny and Uncle David came back to David's house after the funeral, they found Bo sitting on the patio wall in the back garden, gazing at the trees. He turned round as Penny opened the French windows and stepped out. His eyes were red.

"I was thinking about Vinnie," he said. Penny's heart went out to him.

She hadn't wanted to bring him along to her Dad's funeral because she wasn't close to any of the remaining family members who would be there - all distant relatives from her mother's family - and she didn't want to have to explain who he was or why he was there. David, who wasn't actually her uncle, had accompanied her as a close friend of her own family, which had consisted of just Dad and herself. Penny realised that waiting for her to return from the service would naturally leave Bo thinking about his friend, who wouldn't ever have a proper funeral, his body being entombed deep below the sands of the desert. She sat beside him.

"You were very close friends, weren't you? I could see that as soon as I met the two of you." She took his right hand in both of hers.

"We were a team, you know? Bo and Vinnie, the terrible twosome." He smiled sadly. "I guess you only ever get to have one friendship like that." His gaze returned to the trees. Penny didn't know what to say, so she just sat with him in silence. After a while, Bo took his hand from hers and stood.

"I could sure use a beer."

David was in the kitchen. When they walked in, he opened the fridge and took out a bottle of beer, which he handed to Bo.

Bo read the label: "Coors Extra Gold. How did you know?" He gave David a wide-eyed look.

David laughed. "I didn't. It happens to be my favourite beer. In my work, I spend a fair amount of time in the States. I got a taste for the Coors, see?"

"No way, dude! It's what me and Vinnie always drink . . . drunk."

David passed a bottle to Penny, opened one for himself and passed the opener to Bo. He waited as Penny opened her bottle, then raised his own in salute.

"To Vinnie, then. Lechyd da."

"Cheers."

"Down yer neck."

They sat at the large oak table that dominated the kitchen.

"So, what are your plans?" David asked.

"Well, I was planning to start by asking you for a loan, Uncle David. Dad's money won't come through until the will has-"

"Of course, lovely, I'd be happy to. Just tell me how much you need, isn't it? No trouble at all."

Penny hesitated.

"We figured, maybe twenty thousand, er . . . quids?" Bo answered for her.

"Quid," Penny corrected. "The plural's the same, like sheep." She smiled at David. "I'm teaching Bo to speak English."

"Yeah. 'Eggs over easy, rashers and fries' is 'bacon, egg and chips' in 'dear old Blighty'. And 'chips' are 'crisps'. I sat tomayto and you say tomarto-"

"Let's call the whole thing Trevor," Penny finished for him.

"So, you two are planning a five star, VIP world cruise, is it?" David asked.

"Erm . . . not as such. We want to go to Egypt." Penny waited nervously for his reaction.

"I see. Are you sure that's a good idea? I'll be happy to lend you the money, but I'll be worried about you." David drummed his fingers on the table. "What is it you're going there for, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I want to carry on Dad's work - to find the lost temple of Nephren-Ka."

David frowned. "Your Da never told me about this secret thing he was working on, look you. He told me that he would when he was ready, but . . ."

But now he never will, Penny thought.

"And is that the real . . . the only reason you're wanting to go to Egypt?"

"I think it would be a good idea to have someone knowin what's happenin - just in case," Bo told Penny. "I reckon we oughta tell David the whole thing, even if he doesn't believe half of it. And we should give him regular updates while we're over there. Someone has to know what's goin on, in case . . . bad stuff happens. More bad stuff, I mean."

They talked late into the night. Penny was surprised by David's acceptance of even the most bizarre aspects of their story. "There are more things in Heaven and Earth, look you," he'd said. They spent the rest of the week organising everything, meeting with Violet Maynard, booking flights, going over every detail again and again. At last, David drove them to Heathrow, and after an emotional farewell they were on their way. Violet had taken a flight three days earlier and had arranged to meet them at an address in Cairo.

Aqrba also took a separate flight, departing an hour after Penny and Bo.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

The taxi dropped them off outside a nondescript house in a dusty backstreet of Cairo. Penny paid the driver while Bo unloaded their luggage from the boot: two backpacks, a large Bergen for Bo and a smaller patrol pack for Penny, plus a suitcase filled with Penny's clothes. They watched as the car drove away, as Violet had instructed. When it had turned the corner at the end of the street, they approached the house, but stopped halfway down the path when Penny's mobile rang.

"Penny Templegate."

"Look behind you." It was Violet's voice. Penny turned to see the PI beckoning to her from the doorway of a house on the opposite side of the road. She closed her phone and crossed over.

"A little misdirection, just in case," Violet explained as she ushered them into the hallway. The house was empty - no furniture, no carpets - and Penny realised that they wouldn't be staying here when Violet showed them immediately to the back door. Parked in the yard behind the house was a khaki coloured Humvee with a tarpaulin-covered load strapped to its roof.

Bo's eyes lit up. "Cool!"

Violet was looking all around, as if expecting an attack at any moment. Penny knew that coming to Egypt to search for the temple would be dangerous, of course, but it was only now that it really struck home. The cult who had killed her father would also try to kill her - to kill all three of them - and they could strike at any time. She looked around and saw nothing but the backs of houses, bare dusty back yards, nothing moving in the fierce noonday heat. Where were all the people? She listened, but heard only the honking of horns and the hum of traffic in the near distance.

"Miss Templegate?" Violet was standing by the open door of the Humvee. Penny walked round to the passenger side where Bo was holding the door for her.

"Where's all our stuff?" she asked him.

"I already put it in the back while you were zoned out," he said with a grin. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just . . . I'm fine." As she scooted over on the bench seat to make room for Bo, she looked into the back of the vehicle, which was packed full of equipment.

"What is all this stuff?" she asked Violet.

"Camping gear, tools, radios, water cans, petrol cans, everything I thought we might need."

"What's strapped to the roof?" Bo asked.

"A microlight." Violet started the engine. The Humvee growled like a beast. "A microlight!" Bo exclaimed. "Way cool, but what for?"

Violet rammed the gear stick forwards and spun the wheel. "Searching the desert," she replied as the Humvee's wheels kicked up dust and they roared round the side of the house. Penny was flung to one side as the vehicle swung onto the street, then pressed back in her seat as Violet floored the accelerator. Clearly, the PI had a robust style of driving; Penny reached for the seatbelt and strapped herself in.

~~~{{OO}}~~~

A couple of miles out of Cairo, Violet turned off the road, onto a dirt track which ran between wheat fields, with an irrigation ditch running parallel to it on the left. She took a turn on the right, along an overgrown track that terminated at a group of dilapidated wooden sheds.

"Here we are," Violet told them, "this is our safe house."

She got out of the Humvee and opened the doors of the largest shed, then came back and drove the vehicle inside.

"How long will we be staying here?" Penny asked as they unloaded their luggage.

"Only tonight," Violet replied. "We'll be driving into the desert at first light. Bo: I want to go over the map and satellite images with you, so that we can get as good an idea of where we're going as possible."

"Sure thing, ma'am," Bo said as he swung his Bergen onto his back.

"Bo," Violet said with a half smile, "if you don't stop calling me 'ma'am', I'm gonna go back to calling you 'mister Cale'. You can call me Vi."

"Okay. Hi, Vi!"

Violet shook her head. "The thousandth person to come out with that one gets a special prize." She gave Bo a hard look.

~~~{{OO}}~~~

Penny looked around at the interior of the shack. It was a largish shed with no interior partitions. Vi had set up three camp beds, a folding table and three chairs. There was a two-ring cooker connected to a gas bottle in one corner. "Where's the bathroom?" she asked.

"There's a Portaloo and a trough with a hand pump for washing round the back," Vi told her as she placed a document folder on the table. "Bo, have a look through these while I fetch the beer cooler."

"I'm just going to powder my nose," Penny told Bo as he sat down at the table.

"Do you have coke, or is that one of them British you-fer-mizzums like you told me about?" Bo said with a grin.

"Ha ha," she said over her shoulder as she stepped outside, carrying a towel and her toiletries bag.

~~~{{OO}}~~~

Penny looked around at the fields of wheat that stretched to the horizon in all directions. It occurred to her that the tall plants would give perfect cover to any cult assassin crawling towards their hideout. She would be glad to get out into the desert tomorrow.

She walked round the side of the shack and was relieved to find that the area immediately behind it was in shadow as the fierce sun was now almost halfway to the western horizon. The Portaloo was in shade, but the air inside was still hot from baking in the sun for most of the day. Disinfectant fumes made her cough as she waved the door back and forth to change the air.

After doing the necessary, she went to the trough and inspected the water. It seemed clean. She glanced around, then quickly stripped off her shirt and bra. Even though the water was tepid to her hands, it felt pleasantly cool as she splashed it over her torso. She would have much preferred a proper shower, but she was going to have to get used to roughing it for a while, especially when they were camping in the desert.

~~~{{OO}}~~~

When she stepped back into the shack, Bo and Vi were engrossed in the satellite photos spread all over the table top, each clutching a bottle of Egyptian Stella beer. She helped herself from the cooler and joined them at the table.

"Found anything likely-looking?" she asked.

"Not a damn thing," Bo told her. "Can't see anythin that looks like the base we found. We been tryin to pinpoint the area where me and Vinnie crashed the truck, but we was navigatin by dead reckonin, so we only got a rough idea of distance and direction."

"We'll start from the same point they did, and drive in the same direction for a bit longer at a less idiotic speed; we don't want to crash, too." Vi said. "We're unlikely to see any tyre tracks, even if we could distinguish them from other random lorry tracks, because of the sandstorm Bo described. Anyway, once we've reached the general area, as near as we can guess, I'll go up in the microlight and fly a search pattern."

"Did you find out anything about the police investigation?" Penny asked. She had been wanting to ask ever since they had met up, but conversation had been pretty much impossible in the Humvee, with all the equipment rattling.

"There isn't one. It's being handled by some sort of government spooks, a department which no-one will even admit exists."

"Like a kinda Egyptian CIA?" Bo put in.

"No," Vi said with exaggerated patience, "I said no-one will admit they exist. Everyone knows about the CIA, even that their base is in Langley, Virginia. No-one I could find knew what this department is even called, let alone where they're based. All I got was a nickname: the History Police. The rumour is that they're responsible for ensuring that ancient Egypt doesn't intrude on modern Egypt - like this Cult of Chaos, who go back a long way, apparently."

~~~{{OO}}~~~

Out in the fields, two acolytes of Al Abaadh mn Alfwdha were watching. One was watching the shack where the infidels thought they were hiding. The other was watching the three operatives from the History Police who were also watching the shack. Aqrba had been called back to the Hidden Temple in Cairo.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

Aqrba waited in the antechamber of the secret temple's inner sanctum. Even as an exalted acolyte, he had never met the High Priest in person, outside the context of rituals. He had been expecting new instructions in the light of recent revelations, but this must be something more.

The temple was in a concealed sub-basement below an apartment block in the suburbs of Cairo. All the tenants of the block were acolytes of Al Abaadh mn Alfwdha. The antechamber was a small, dark room with bare concrete walls and floor; simple wooden benches lined the two longer walls, while the end walls held heavy steel doors, the inner one of which now swung open.

"Exalted acolyte Aqrba: the High Priest will see you now."

Aqrba followed the robed figure into a gloomy corridor. There were several doors on either side, and double doors at the end. The robed figure opened one side of these, stepped aside and motioned Aqrba to enter.

The room was a quite ordinary office, except for the lack of windows. Behind a wide desk sat a fat man in a dark blue suit, who stood and walked round to shake Aqrba's hand.

"Aqrba, a pleasure to meet you, our finest assassin." The High Priest's voice was surprisingly high-pitched.

"Thank you, your Holiness."

The High Priest laughed - a disconcertingly girlish giggle. "Call me Father." He gestured to the chair in front of the desk. "Take a seat, Aqrba." He returned to his own seat on the other side of the desk.

"You have accomplished a great deal in the service of Al Abaadh. For this, and for other reasons, we have decided to promote you."

Aqrba had not been expecting this. "Thank you, Father," was all he could think to say.

"You are to become a priest of Nyarlathotep," the High priest continued. "This is primarily because present circumstances require that you perform the Voorish ritual."

Aqrba's stomach turned over. The Voorish ritual was the second most powerful in the Book of Eibon, and entailed the second-greatest sacrifice. Aqrba trembled as he thought of it.

"We require that you infiltrate the group of infidels. You must not be recognised, and there is no time for conventional cosmetic surgery. Therefore, you will use the power of the Voorish rite to alter your appearance. Your mission among the infidels will be your last in the field. Thereafter, you will pass on your considerable expertise in the training of acolytes as assassins." The High Priest smiled sympathetically. "Do not be afraid, Aqrba. The Great Renewal will soon be upon us, and the faithful will be transfigured."

"Yes, Father." Aqrba's voice shook.

"I am going to show you something." The High Priest stood and came back around the desk. Aqrba was alarmed by his next action: he undid his trousers and lowered them. "You see? I too have been required to perform the Voorish rite."

Aqrba felt sick.

~~~{{OO}}~~~

He had been taken to one of the rooms off the corridor. It contained a cot, a chair, a table and a freestanding brazier full of burning coals. There were various utensils and phials on the table where the Book of Eibon lay open at the appropriate page.

Aqrba stripped naked, folded his clothes on the cot, then sat in the chair and leaned forward to pick up the first phial, which contained a drug to suppress the gag reflex. His hand shook violently as he raised the phial to his lips and swallowed the acrid-tasting liquid. He looked towards the brazier. Was he really going to do this? The rite of Ibn Ghazi was bad enough, but this was far worse. Aqrba found himself doubting his own sanity. He sincerely believed that he would be transfigured in the Great Renewal; the proof of his beliefs was the fact that the magic actually worked: had he not found his targets again and again by using the rite of Ibn Ghazi? If the magic was true, then everything was true, and therefore the act he was about to perform was not an act of insanity. And yet, the horror of it, the irreversible nature of it . . .

He intoned a prayer, then picked up the second, larger phial. Its contents looked like diarrhoea, and smelled worse. The gag suppressant allowed him to swallow it. Now for the hard part.

As Aqrba held the surgical shears, he wept. "Nyarlathotep, give thy servant the strength to do thy will," he sobbed. He spread his legs and placed the jaws of the shears around the base of his scrotal sac.The sharp steel felt cold against his skin, and his testicles pulled up tight to his groin. Fear and doubt churned in his stomach: but it was too late to turn back. He had been moving toward this moment ever since he had been initiated into Al Abaadh, even if he hadn't known it. The cult, and its god, required it of him. If he failed now, it had all been for nothing. He was committed.

He closed the shears. The pain was ferocious. Blood poured from his crotch as his scrotum and testicles slapped onto the concrete floor. As he bent to retrieve his severed genitals, the pain intensified. He placed the pathetic handful of flesh into the dish on the table, then quickly pulled the branding iron from the brazier. The oval plate on the end of it glowed bright orange. Aqrba lifted his penis to one side and applied the iron to the wound below it. He screamed, and would have vomited at the stink of burnt flesh and burning pubic hair if not for the gag suppressant. That drug's work was not yet done.

Aqrba's bladder and bowels had voided themselves. He felt despair at the wretchedness of his condition. There was one more thing left to do, then this ordeal would be over. He lifted his severed genitals from the dish and put them in his mouth.

His testicles crunched grotesquely as he bit into them and chewed the gristly lumps. Worse still was the loose, slippery elasticity of the scrotal skin. But worst of all was the feeling of the pubic hair against the roof of his mouth - he wished he'd thought to shave it off before he'd started. Aqrba wept as he chewed, then swallowed the disgusting mouthful and sat back in the now filthy chair, gasping and shuddering. He had done it; he had performed the Voorish ritual . . . but it wasn't over yet.

His face itched, as if ants were crawling all over it; then the ants began to bite. Aqrba writhed in the chair as the pain increased. The bones of his skull creaked, and his teeth ached as if each one was abscessed. His eyeballs felt as if they would burst. The agony worsened until it eclipsed the pain of his groin - then, suddenly, it was over.

He heard the door open. He couldn't clearly see the two persons who entered because of the tears streaming from his eyes, but he recognised the voice of the High Priest.

"Bless you, my son. You will be rewarded for your courage and dedication in the Great Renewal."

The High Priest and the other figure helped Aqrba to the cot and laid him down. The High Priest produced a long-stemmed pipe and held it to Aqrba's lips as the other lit it. Aqrba smelled the familiar tang of opium. He inhaled gratefully.

"Sleep now, Aqrba, and dream of the God."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

"They're moving, sir." Abdullah handed the night vision binoculars to Rashid.

The sky was the deep, mystic blue of false dawn, and the land was still in darkness. The binoculars' image intensifier showed everything in shades of green. Rashid could see three figures carrying equipment from the small shack to the large shed.

"Prepare to move out," he told the other two operatives. He had decided on a three-man team, one for each of the surveillance subjects, in case they split up. In that event, he would follow miss Templegate, Abdullah would follow the American, and Mohammed would follow Violet Maynard. He had assigned Mohammed to the private investigator because he was a more experienced field agent than Abdullah. Abdullah was a recent recruit who had become Rashid's protégé. It seemed probable that the American would stick with miss Templegate - Rashid had gained the impression that he was very protective of her. For the moment, though, it appeared that all three would remain together, as they had only the one vehicle, one of those ridiculous American super-jeeps. What worried Rashid was the microlight strapped to the Humvee's roof: that would be impossible to follow from the ground. He was puzzled by it. What did they want it for? He had assumed that they were here to investigate Professor Templegate's murder, but was beginning to suspect that they had some other agenda. If only he had been able to locate the PI's hideout sooner, he could have installed a listening device; but the PI was good - she had immediately found every bug and tracking device his team had attempted to plant on her vehicle. Still, their actions would reveal their purpose: time would tell.

~~~{{OO}}~~~

Vi drove the Humvee out of the shed, then stopped, but left the engine running. She took the infrared scope from beneath the dashboard and got out of the vehicle. She had previously affixed a rope to the roof of the large shed; she used it now to haul herself up, then perched astride the roof's peak and scanned around. She spotted two groups of heat signatures in the near distance, widely separated from each other. Probably one was a History Police surveillance team, the other possibly either a surveillance team or a hit squad from the cult. She abseiled down and got back into the Humvee.

"What's up?" Penny asked her.

"We've got company. Damn, I wish we had weapons."

"Um, I've been meanin to talk to ya 'bout that," Bo said.

Vi looked at him. "And?"

"There's this Libyan dude that me and Vinnie scored our nine mils from. I arranged to meet him today to pick up a few things."

"Good show, that man," Vi told him. He looked pleased with himself; Vi realised he wanted to impress her - until now, he'd given her the impression that he was a bit of an idiot. She herself had tried to obtain weapons, but had found that it wasn't as easy as it used to be, in these times of terrorist alerts. She had concluded that it would put them in more danger to attempt to obtain weapons than to do without them for now - unless the cult chose to attack. The prospect of remaining unarmed was an alarming one, but she'd been unable to do anything about it. She smiled at Bo. "Then I guess we need to review our plan for today. Where are you meeting this Libyan?"

"I figured we oughta meet up in the desert. Dude's got a GPS. We'll RV by phone." He held up a mobile. "It's a pay-as-you-go I picked up before we left England. Didn't wanna use my own, just in case. Can't be too careful when you're scorin hardware."

Dim grey light was beginning to wash over the landscape as the sky brightened. Vi didn't want to use the headlights, and had pulled the wires on the tail lights. No point making it easy for the bastards following them.

"We'll head to where you and Vinnie started from, then strike west from there. Will that bring us to a point where you can RV with the Libyan?"

"Yes ma'am, uh, I mean Vi, sorry. I'll call when we're in the right area, then he'll come to us."

~~~{{OO}}~~~

The Landrover pulled up beside the Humvee with a spray of gravel that rattled against the bodywork. Two men jumped out, one of them holding a Mac 10 submachine gun. Bo got out of the Humvee, moving slowly and keeping his hands where the Libyans could see them.

"Abdul, my good friend! Great to see you again!"

The Libyan who wasn't holding a gun stepped forwards. "It is good to see you also, my friend. Will you with kindness introducing me to your associations?"

Bo gestured for Penny and Vi to get out of the Humvee.

"This is Setepenra Templegate. She's an archaeologist."

"Hi," Penny said. She was clearly nervous.

"And this is Violet Maynard. She's a private investigator."

"Salaam aleikum," Vi said.

"Aleikum salaam," the Libyan replied. "May I asking what it is you will investigate?"

"We're looking for an archaeological site in the desert, where miss Templegate believes we may find valuable relics." She looked towards Bo. When he had coached her on what to say, she had expressed doubt as to whether the Libyans could be trusted with this information. He had explained that, as well as providing weapons, the Libyan was also his contact for the smuggled relics, and as such would be reassured to hear that this was the purpose of their expedition.

The Libyan addressed Bo. "We have not been possible for finding this truck of which you have speak. You may having relics for me soon this time? If you are not crashing once more!" He threw back his head and laughed. "Come, my friend. You will wishing to inspecting the merchandise."

Bo walked with him to the rear of the Landrover. The Libyan opened the back and threw back a tarpaulin.

"May my associate also inspect the merchandise?" Bo asked.

The Libyan hesitated, then replied with a false smile. "Of course! We are all friends here, no?"

Bo beckoned to Vi.

"We got three nine mil Glocks, with shoulder rigs. Two SA80 assault rifles with underslung grenade launchers, plus a SIMRAD night sight. And a flamethrower."

Vi gave him a look which he couldn't read. She picked up one of the SA80s and inspected it, while Bo checked the action of the Glocks.

"First class merchandise!" the Libyan said. "Now I must asking for see the money, my friend."

"Sure, no problem. Penny! Can you bring the cash, please?"

Penny brought the large brown envelope and handed it to Bo.

"It's all there, my friend," Bo said as he handed it over, "but I won't be offended if you want to count it."

"Of course," the Libyan replied as he opened the envelope and took out the wad of notes. "We are businessmen, you and I." He nodded to the other Libyan, who was standing off to one side with his submachine gun held ready. There was a palpable lessening of tension.

They loaded the weapons into the back of the Humvee. Bo shook hands with the Libyan and promised that he would contact him if the expedition was successful. He was well aware that the only thing keeping the Libyans from killing all three of them, taking the money and the Humvee and keeping the weapons was the prospect of making money from any relics that he might bring them.

"I look forward to doing more mutually profitable business with you in future. Salaam!"

~~~{{OO}}~~~

Bo heaved a deep sigh of relief as the Libyans drove away. Vi took a jerry can from the back of the Humvee and poured a cup of water which she passed to Penny.

"You okay, Penny?" Bo asked her. He thought she looked shaken by the encounter.

"I'm fine. I've never had a machine gun pointed at me before, that's all."

"Why a flamethrower?" Vi asked. "Okay, Glocks and SA80s, good choice, but what do we need a flamethrower for?"

"You remember I told you about Vinnie getting attacked by a dog?"

"Yeah . . ."

"Well, it wasn't a dog. I figure it musta been -" Bo decided to lie " - some kinda genetically altered animal. It was hard to kill. I figured, if there were more of them in the temple, a flamethrower might be a better -"

"Wait a minute," Vi interrupted, giving him a hard look. "You mean underground, in the tunnels?"

"Well, yeah -"

"And you're seriously proposing to use a flamethrower in a confined space?"

"Um . . ."

"You're an idiot!"

~~~{{OO}}~~~

As they drove on, Vi interrogated Bo about his experiences at the temple.

"So, what haven't you told me? What's this shit about a genetically altered animal? You'd better level with me, or I'm gonna turn this thing around and drive straight to the airport."

Bo looked at Penny, who nodded to him and gave him a sympathetic smile. He took a deep breath.

"The only reason I didn't tell you before is cos you wouldn't believe me," he said, half shouting above the rattling noises. "I figured you'd have to see for yourself."

"So tell me. I'll decide what I believe and what I don't."

"Okay . . ." Bo decided to start with the dog-thing. He also described the weird stuff in the cinderblock buildings. He described Vinnie's death - with difficulty - but stopped short of describing the tall dude . . . Nyarlathotep, if that's who it was.

Bo didn't like the way Vi was looking at him.

"I believe him," Penny put in. "I saw some unexplainable things, too." She started to describe the incident with the disappearing scarabs, but Vi interrupted.

"You never explained how you found your way out of the temple," she said to Bo.

I'm not even gonna try to explain that one, he thought. "I don't know how I got out," he said, which was true, as far as it went. "After what happened to Vinnie, I freaked. I can't remember what happened next."

Vi gave him a look of suspicion. "So you think we're up against aliens?"

"Hell, I sure hope not. I don't have any idea what the fuck we're up against. I'm just tellin you what I saw."

"What you thought you saw."

"Godammit, I know what I saw!" Steady, dude, he thought to himself, don't get confrontational. Can't blame the woman for havin difficulty believin this shit. Fuck, I can hardly believe it myself, and I was there.

"Witnesses often have inaccurate recollections of events. They'll be absolutely certain of something, even when it can't possibly be true. The human mind plays all sorts of tricks. Memory fills in gaps, which a person will remember as if based on actual perception. You said yourself that you were traumatised."

"Well, I guess we'll see," Bo told her. She may think I'm an idiot, but wait till she sees the spaghetti monster.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

"This is about right," Vi said as she stopped the Humvee and switched off the engine. It was now early evening, with the sun low on the horizon. Bo and Vinnie had set off in the afternoon, and crashed their truck late at night. Starting mid-morning, the same period of driving had brought them to a featureless plain of stony desert.

"We'll set up camp, and I'll take the microlight up first thing tomorrow." She got out of the vehicle, walked round and opened the back. Bo and Penny joined her. "Help me move some of this gear out of the way so we can get the tents out." She dumped several jerry cans of water on the ground while Bo unloaded jerry cans of fuel from the other side. Vi lifted out the camp beds and the folding chairs and table, moved some other equipment out of the way and leaned in to grasp the edge of a tarpaulin. As she hauled it back, she saw a body curled into a foetal ball between two of the tents. "What the fuck?"

The body uncurled and sat up. It was a short, plump girl with mousey hair.

"I'm sorry," she croaked.

Vi heard a gasp from Penny. "Lily!"

Vi recognised her now. It was the archaeology student she had interviewed two days ago, the only one from the Templegate dig who had remained in Egypt, working on another dig in the Valley of Kings. Vi had thought at the time that the girl was being evasive, but she hadn't been able to get anything useful out of her.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she asked.

"I wanted to see Penny," the girl - Lily - answered in a choked voice.

"How long have you been hiding in there? And what made you think -"

"Vi," Penny interrupted. She had poured a cup of water. "Lily: do you need a drink?"

"Please." Vi saw the look on her face, and saw that it was more than gratitude; it was a look of adoration. It all became clear. That was what the girl had been concealing: that she was in love with Penny. Gawdelpus, Vi thought.

Lily drained the cup of water, and held it out to Penny, avoiding her eyes.

"More?" Penny asked.

"Yes, please," Lily said in a small voice.

Vi saw that Bo looked amused. So he knew, then. "Lily," she said, more gently this time. "How long have you been hiding in there?"

Lily darted a nervous look at her, then cast her eyes down as she answered. "I got in after you talked to me at the dig, while you were talking to the others."

"You've been in there for two days? Without food or water?"

"I had this." She pointed into the back of the Hummer, where an empty plastic Evian bottle lay.

"How did you know Penny would be coming?"

"I didn't. I just sort of . . . hoped." She sounded as if she was about to burst into tears.

"Let's get set up, and cook us some dinner," Bo suggested. "I sure am hungry, and you must be starvin," he added, smiling at Lily. Vi was surprised by his evident sympathy. She had seen that Bo was in love with Penny as soon as she'd met them both, but he clearly didn't feel threatened by Lily.

"Set the tents up there, there and there," Vi told him. "Penny, can I have a word with you?"

While Bo dragged two of the tents a short distance away from the vehicle, one in each hand, and Lily dragged the other, Vi led Penny round the other side of the Humvee and spoke to her in a low voice.

"What are we gonna do about her?"

Penny seemed embarrassed. "I don't know. I assumed she'd gone back home with the rest of them. I wouldn't have been entirely surprised if she'd turned up on my doorstep, but . . ."

"Well, she's gonna be a bit of a liability, isn't she? Maybe we should take her back to Cairo . . . but I really don't wanna have to do that. We'll have been followed out here, and they'll know now that we're armed -"

"Do you think so?" Penny looked around at the featureless horizon.

"Of course. We were followed to the safe house. The cultists will be aware of the presence of the History Police, which is probably why we haven't been attacked yet. But if we do actually find this temple, things are likely to get a bit hairy. This Lily will be very much in the way. I'll have enough to worry about protecting you; I expect Bo can look after himself, but have you ever used a gun?"

Penny looked shocked. "Do you think it will come to that?"

Bloody civilians, Vi thought. "The cult was willing to kill to prevent this temple being found. So how do you think they'll react if we do actually find it?"

"Sorry. You're right, of course. I just hadn't . . . I mean, it's hard to adjust to the idea that people want to kill you. I've never been in a situation like this."

Vi looked at her, and felt a certain amount of sympathy. Beautiful, intelligent, but terribly naive, she thought.

"That girl could easily have died in the back of the Hummer. The heat in there during the day, when it's parked up with the windows closed . . . she must have been suffering. It was a crazy thing to do."

"The poor thing's obsessed," Penny said sadly. "I didn't do anything to encourage her, but maybe I should have done more to _dis_courage her. Bloody hell."

Vi couldn't help smiling. "Well, we're just gonna have to deal with it. We've got enough food and water; I deliberately over-stocked, in case of unforeseen circumstances. But we've only got three tents. I'm assuming you wouldn't want to share with Lily; would you be willing to share with Bo?"

"Umm . . . the thing is, I'm not ready to . . . I mean, I'm still emotionally . . . my Dad . . ." Penny's voice cracked.

Of course, Vi thought. That's why they haven't got together, despite the obvious attraction between them. And Bo is bereaved as well. Fuck, I'm facing a combat situation in the company of a bunch of emotional cripples. Bloody wonderful.

"Couldn't Lily sleep in the car?" Penny suggested.

'Car'!, Vi thought. "Not a good idea. The 'car' has an alarm and an immobiliser, and I've fitted a silent alarm as well, but it could still be targeted by the cultists. She'd be safer in one of the tents. The three of us will be armed, a Glock each and an SA80 for me and Bo, but I don't want to give Lily a gun. By the way, I want you to take a few practice shots, familiarise yourself with the weapon. Do you think you could defend yourself, if it came to it?"

Penny looked shocked. "Shoot someone, you mean?"

Vi rolled her eyes. "When someone is trying to kill you, there's no point trying to _talk _them out of it. These are the people who killed your father," she said brutally. "You're gonna have to bear that in mind." - for fuck's sake, she added to herself. "Anyway, about Lily. I suppose, dammit, she'll have to share with me." Vi looked at the sun. It would be setting in a couple of hours. "Okay, let's get ourselves set up."

Bo had used a shovel to clear a rectangular area of the worst of the rocks and stones, and had unpacked and laid out two tents side by side.

"I said to put the tents -" Vi began.

"I want Penny's tent right next to mine," Bo said. "Is there a problem with that?"

"No, I suppose not. In fact, it's a good idea. I'll pitch mine over there." The tents and the Humvee would form a loose horseshoe with the open side facing east. The wind was blowing from the west, but was only slight, and in any case, the tents wouldn't do much to shield them from it if it got stronger. Once they'd pitched the tents, Vi got the large tarpaulin from the Hummer, along with four poles, and set up an awning in the middle of the camp, which would provide shade from the noonday sun. Penny set up the table and chairs, and the cooker.

"We've only got three camp beds," she said as she connected the gas bottle, "and the ground's pretty stony. Also, we've only got three sleeping bags."

Vi looked at Lily, who was sitting at the table, looking wretched. "I suppose we'll have to improvise something -"

"Lily can have my bunk," Bo offered. "I'll lay out some stuff to sleep on. I'm used to roughing it."

"Oh no," Lily objected, "you don't have to do that!"

"Not a problem," Bo insisted. "What's for dinner, by the way? I'm starved."

~~~{{OO}}~~~

Rashid used a range-finder to fix the position of the subjects' camp, then relayed the GPS coordinates to Control, who would do a satellite scan of the area and hopefully get a fix on Al Abaadh mn Alfwdha. They were sure to be laid up somewhere not too distant. Rashid's unit had parked their jeeps in a shallow hollow; it wasn't deep enough to hide them entirely, but it did prevent their camp from standing out against the horizon. They would be difficult to spot, even with binoculars, but it didn't really matter if they were spotted; the subjects couldn't do anything about it, anyway, and if Al Abaadh attacked, well, that was the whole point of being here: to draw them out into the open. Rashid hoped that the subjects would find the lost temple; it would force Al Abaadh into open confrontation with his organisation for the first time in the long history of their conflict. They had over a hundred airborne troops in a forward operating base being set up within twenty minute's flight of the target area. The History Police were preparing for battle.

~~~{{OO}}~~~

The two acolytes lay in shallow trenches they'd dug for themselves. Their Toyota Landcruiser was parked next to them, under a camouflage net. They were taking turns watching the infidels through a telescope; they knew that the History Police would be nearby, but had been instructed to concentrate on the others. Aqrba would return soon; until then, they were to watch and wait.

~~~{{OO}}~~~

Bo opened a beer to wash away the taste of the horrible canned beef stew. The sun was close to the horizon now. The stack of jerry cans which he was using as an improvised fourth chair wobbled as he turned to speak to Vi.

"I guess we'll be taking turns at sentry duty?"

"Just you and me. We have infrared bino's, but remember to only use them at intervals, and switch off between. We have spare batteries, but we have to make them last."

"I'd be willing to take a turn," Penny objected. Bo smiled at her.

"Course you would, and no-ones suggestin you're, like, not competent or anythin. But Vi here has combat experience, and I've stood a few night watches myself. It kinda needs an experienced eye, you know?"

"Bo's right. Also, the person on watch might face a situation where they'd have to shoot someone." Lily gave a little gasp. "Bo or myself wouldn't hesitate, but are you sure you wouldn't? Which reminds me, we have to show you how to use a gun."

"I don't think I could shoot anyone," Lily said.

Bo laughed. "We wouldn't ask you to." He turned to Penny. "Waddya say? Up for a spot of target practice?" She looked reluctant. "Don't worry, it ain't too difficult. If you do have to use your gun, it'll be at close range anyway." He gathered the stew cans and strode out of the camp, looking back over his shoulder to check that Penny was following. "Got your gun?" he asked as he set the cans in a row on the ground.

"It's in my tent."

Bo grinned at her. "Fraid you're gonna have to get used to wearin it, dude. It ain't gonna be much use to ya if we get attacked and your gun's in your tent."

Penny gave him a crooked smile. "Okay, I'll go and get it."

Bo watched her gorgeous butt as she walked away. Damn! he thought, even in shapeless combats, it makes me want to howl. Try not to think about it, dude, before you start frothin at the mouth.

Penny returned, the Glock dangling from her hand in its shoulder rig.

"Okay, first off, I'm gonna havta show ya how to wear it. Then you'll havta practice pullin it, flickin off the safety . . . and reloadin."

Bo was painfully aware of the proximity of Penny's breasts as he fitted the shoulder holster onto her. She was sweaty from the heat of the day - she'd washed as well as she could under the circumstances, but Vi would only allow them to wipe themselves down with a wet cloth; their water supply was limited, after all. She didn't smell strongly of sweat, and he didn't find it at all offensive - in fact, he found it intoxicating. Bo figured that after a few days, they'd all get to smell pretty ripe. The thought made him chuckle.

"What's funny?" Penny asked.

"Oh, nothin. I'm an idiot, is all."

Penny grinned at him. She obviously had some idea of the kind of thoughts going through his mind. He checked that the safety was on, and slipped the Glock into the holster, being careful not to brush his hand against the side of her breast.

"Okay, practice pulling the gun out a few times."

Once Penny had got the hang of pulling the gun and flicking the safety catch with her thumb, Bo asked her if she was ready to try a few shots.

"Umm . . . I suppose so." She looked terrified. Bo had an almost overwhelming urge to put his arms around her and never let go.

He pulled his own gun out. "Hold it with both hands, like this. Sight along the barrel, and squeeze the trigger slowly - don't jerk it."

Penny's gun shook as she held it out in front of her and aimed at one of the cans. She squeezed her eyes shut, turned her head to one side and pulled the trigger. The gun jumped out of her hands and clattered on the ground. She opened her eyes again. "Did I hit it?"

Bo cracked up laughing. "Not much. It helps if you keep your eyes open."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

"Vi? You said to wake you at dawn."

Bo was shaking her foot. She yawned and stretched. "Morning, Bo. Give me a minute." She heard a 'zizz' as Bo closed the zip. Vi shook Lily's shoulder; it felt warm and soft. She realised with a jolt that it had been a long time since she'd touched another woman. It was a disquieting thought. Lily mumbled sleepily.

"Up and at 'em, soldier!" Vi barked. She sat up and began dressing. Lily rolled over, glanced at her, then averted her eyes.

Vi crawled out of the tent into the cold desert dawn. She looked around. The sky was still dark blue in the west, but brighter in the east. She went to the far side of the Humvee, where a canvas screen and a port-a-potty comprised the sanitary facilities. They'd left the full-size Portaloo at the safe house since it was too bulky to load onto the Humvee.

When she walked back around the vehicle, she found Penny and Lily waiting by the tailgate. "Morning, ladies."

"Good morning, Fearless Leader," Penny said. Lily was looking at Penny uncertainly. "After you," Penny told her. Lily hurried round to the latrine. "What's the plan for today?"

"I'm gonna take the microlight up. If I find the compound, I'll call you on the shortwave, and you'll have to pack up and meet me there. We've got some work to do. Gotta clear a runway, shift some rocks."

"Can we have breakfast first?"

~~~{{OO}}~~~

Vi was delighted to see that Bo had made coffee. She sat at the table and thanked him as he placed a steaming mug in front of her.

"I'm worried about you goin up in that thing," he said. "What if the cultists try to shoot you down?"

"That's a risk I have to take. I'm betting they won't, though. I don't think they'll want to reveal their position with the History Police around. They probably won't act until they have to." She very much hoped she was right about that.

Lily and Penny joined them at the table.

"Coffee, dudes?" Bo offered.

"Yes, please," they replied in unison.

"What's for breakfast?" Bo asked Penny as he placed their coffees in front of them.

"I'm officially the cook, then, am I?" Penny said. Her smile indicated that she didn't mean it as a complaint.

"I'll help," Lily offered. "Bo and Vi have been up half the night, anyway. I want to do my share."

"Don't worry, you will," Vi said with a grin. "You're gonna be shifting rocks while Bo helps me assemble the microlight."

~~~{{OO}}~~~

The sun was well above the horizon and the day was already uncomfortably hot when Vi was finally satisfied with the runway. The cleared strip was still very stony, but the worst of the rocks, bumps and hollows had been dealt with. Penny and Lily had made a good start while Vi and Bo assembled the aircraft, but the work had gone much quicker once they'd taken over the shovels and sent Penny and Lily to rest in the shade of the awning.

Bo helped Vi move the microlight into position then stood off to one side with the others as she started the engine. The aircraft shook alarmingly and threatened to tip forwards as it trundled over the stony ground. It picked up speed and lifted off just a few yards short of the end of the cleared strip. Vi felt a familiar thrill as the microlight soared into the air. She loved flying, and the lack of a cockpit around her made flying this type of craft particularly exhilarating. She banked into a slow turn around the camp, scanning the immediate area.

The first thing she spotted was a group of three jeeps and three tents a mile or so east of their own camp. Probably the History Police, she thought. As she widened her circle, she noticed a shadow on the ground about two miles south of the camp. It could be a small hillock, or a camouflaged vehicle. She considered flying a low pass over it, but decided not to; if it was the cultists, buzzing them might provoke them into taking pot-shots at her. She should concentrate on searching for the compound.

She had calculated that Bo and Vinnie could have deviated slightly north or south of their intended route directly westwards, and that they could have gone further than they'd thought, so she'd decided to fly in an expanding arc with its ends to the north and south, spreading westwards like a wave. She would continue to fly until the sun rose higher, making shadows shorter. The buildings would be most easily spotted by the shadows they cast in this flat terrain; Bo had said that they were pretty much the same colour as the surrounding landscape, and the sandstorm he'd described had probably obscured the runway. Vi thought that they shouldn't be too hard to find, as long as she was looking in the right area - which she might very well not be. She took the microlight higher and raised her binoculars to her eyes.

Bo's voice came over the headset. "Backache Base to Eagle-eye One. See anythin? Over."

"Eyestrain One to Butthole Base. Negative. Just desert and more desert. I'll call you when I have something to call about. Out."

~~~{{OO}}~~~

Bo opened another beer. He had taken the beers out of the cooler during the cold of the night, then replaced the bottles in the early morning, in an attempt to keep them cool. It had worked to some extent, but he wished the beer was a lot colder. Still, he thought, good of Vi to have provided a supply. She's a righteous old-school broad. Better go easy, though.

"Bo?" Penny said. "I think we've got company."

Bo looked where she was pointing. An indistinct shape in a cloud of dust was approaching through the heat haze, from the south. He picked up his binoculars and focussed on it. "Looks like a Toyota Landcruiser, what the forces in Afghanistan call a 'Taliban taxi'. You guys get behind the Hummer and stay there." He picked up his SA80 and walked towards the approaching vehicle. He wanted to meet it away from the camp.

As the Toyota came closer, Bo loaded a grenade into the assault rifle's underslung launcher. When it got to within a hundred metres, he held up his hand in a 'stop' gesture, and raised the weapon to his shoulder. The Toyota stopped immediately.

A single figure got out and raised both hands above its head. It reached into the Landcruiser's cab and took out two sticks. Bo kept the rifle aimed at the figure, examining him through the telescopic sight. The figure was a man, dressed in jeans, a white shirt and a Panama hat. The sticks were walking sticks. Bo watched as the man hobbled towards him, walking with difficulty on stiff legs. As he got closer, Bo could see that he was incredibly ugly; he had an unnaturally long jaw, a high-arched, crooked nose and one eye lower than the other.

Bo waited until the man got within shouting distance.

"Stop there! Put down the sticks and raise your hands above your head!"

Bo walked towards him, keeping the rifle aimed at him, and keeping him between himself and the Landcruiser.

"I am alone and unarmed!" the man shouted. "I have come to warn you that your lives may be in danger!"

"We know that! How do _you_ know?"

"My name is Moustapha Ali. I represent an organisation which opposes Al Abaadh mn Alfwdha - 'the cult of chaos', in your language. A group of their acolytes has been following you. I have been following them."

"Lie face-down on the ground. Are you one of the History Police?"

"I am very sorry, my friend, but I cannot lie down without assistance. I have suffered an injury at the hands of the cult. Please do not shoot me. I mean you no harm."

Bo took out his Glock, aimed it at the man, and carefully placed the assault rifle on the ground. He walked up to him and put the barrel of the automatic under his chin while he frisked him with his left hand. He stepped back and picked up the rifle.

"I'll ask you again: are you with the History Police?"

"I am not. Regrettably, they are not to be trusted. They have their own agenda, and can be ruthless. Please, my friend, could you pick up my walking sticks for me? I can not do so myself."

Bo shook his head. "I'm not your friend. Stay where you are. Keep your hands raised and don't move." He kept the Glock trained on him, and aimed the rifle at the Landcruiser as he walked towards it, glancing alternately at both targets. He wished Vi was here to back him up.

The Toyota proved to be empty. Bo walked back to the man, put the Glock to the back of his head and frisked him again. Finally satisfied that he didn't seem to be a threat, he picked up the walking sticks and held them out to him.

"Okay, you can lower your hands. Don't do anythin to make me nervous - I won't hesitate to pop a cap in your ass."

"Thank you, my fr- . . . sir. I assure you, we share a common enemy. We should be allies."

"Walk towards the camp. Tell me what you know about us, and how you know it."

"My organisation has infiltrated Al Abaadh. We gained intelligence that a group of infid- . . . forgive me, westerners had arrived in Egypt to seek the lost temple of Nephren-Ka. Its location is unknown to either the cult or the History Police. The cult has previously striven to prevent anyone from discovering anything pertaining to Nephren-Ka or his temple. The present agenda of the History Police is not known to us."

"Who is 'us', exactly?"

"We are victims, or friends and relatives of victims of the cult. We call ourselves the Mutual Support Group. We seek to expose the cult, and to bring them to justice for their many atrocities."

"Why should I believe you?"

The man stopped walking. "I must show you something. Please do not be alarmed." Moving slowly, he began to undo his jeans.

Bo raised the Glock again. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"You must see." He lowered his jeans and Y-fronts and pulled his penis to one side. "The cult did this to me."

Bo reluctantly glanced at the man's groin. Where his scrotum should be, there was a patch of gauze held on by sticking plasters. "Fuck, dude! They cut off your balls?"

"They wanted certain information about the Support Group. Fortunately, I was rescued by my colleagues before they could torture me further. So you see, they are truly my enemies. As they are also your enemies, we should be friends." He pulled his jeans back up, much to Bo's relief.

"What did you say your name was?" Bo asked. It occurred to him that anyone could have cut the guy's balls off, it didn't prove anything. Maybe he'd had testicular cancer or something.

"I am Moustapha Ali, at your service." He held out his hand.

"Umm, no offence, dude, but I kinda would rather not shake your hand until you've washed it."


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

Vi approached the improvised airstrip. She had been about to give up the search until mid-afternoon, since the sun was approaching the zenith, and the compound's buildings wouldn't be casting much in the way of shadows, when Bo had informed her over the radio that they had a visitor. The news had alarmed her. She had told Bo to keep a gun on him, and had turned back immediately to head for the camp.

She slowed the microlight almost to its stall-speed and kept it tilted up as much as possible as she touched down. The craft skittered over the stony surface, then tilted forwards and dug the point of the canopy frame into the ground. Vi was flung hard against the harness. She cut the engine, released the harness and tumbled out of the seat. "Graceful. Elegant," she muttered. She surveyed the aircraft; it didn't seem to be damaged. Penny and Lily ran up to her.

"Are you alright?" Penny panted.

"Fine," Vi growled. "Where's our mystery guest?" she asked as she strode rapidly towards the camp. The other two had to half-run to keep up.

"He's sitting at the table with Bo keeping a gun on him, like you told him to," Penny replied.

Vi walked between the tents and saw Bo and the stranger sitting either side of the table under the awning. Bo had a Glock in one hand, resting casually on the table top, and a beer in the other. Vi frowned at the bottle, then turned to the interloper.

"Who the fuck are you?"

"I am Moustapha Ali," he began.

"Yeah, and I'm Britney fucking Spears. Moustapha Ali, my arse. What's your real name?"

"I assure you, madam-"

"Shoot him, Bo."

Bo laughed. "Vi, there was some stuff I didn't tell you over the radio, in case the History dudes were listenin." He told her what 'Moustapha' had told him.

"And what was the exact nature of the injury that the cult supposedly inflicted on you?" she asked 'Moustapha'.

"I do not wish to speak of it in the presence of women," he replied stiffly.

Bo stood and leaned towards her. He whispered in her ear.

"They cut your bollocks off?" she asked. Penny gasped, and Vi was almost sure Lily suppressed a giggle.

"Thank you," 'Moustapha' said, giving her an angry look. "They did indeed."

"I'm sure I can find something else to cut off. You didn't answer my question; what's your real name?"

"May I show you my driving licence? Can you read Arabic?" Vi saw hate in his lopsided eyes.

"I can," Penny offered.

"Does it really matter?" Bo asked. "What difference does it make what he calls himself? Do we need this dude, or do we tell him to fuck the hell off?"

"I have much knowledge of the cult," 'Moustapha' told Vi. "Also, I am certain that I know more about the History Police than you do. My knowledge may prove to be invaluable to you."

Bo had sat back down. Vi pulled out her Glock and bumped Bo's side with her hip. He got up and she sat in his place. "I don't like this," she told 'Moustapha'. "You say you're an enemy of the cult, and you can help us, so why are my instincts telling me to shoot you where you sit?"

"Perhaps it is because of my appearance. Many people dislike me on sight because my face is ugly. But an ugly face does not mean an ugly soul."

"Good answer." Vi wasn't happy about this development, but she couldn't dismiss the possibility that this 'Moustapha' was telling the truth. Maybe he could even be useful to them. "Bo, get me a beer. Would you like a beer, mister 'Ali'?"

"No thank you. I am a strict Muslim. However, a glass of water would be most welcome."

Vi took a swig of beer while Penny poured a cup of water. "What can you tell us about this temple of Nephren-Ka?"

"Little is known of it, save that it was built underground, somewhere in the desert. The Black Pharaoh had it constructed for the worship of Nyarlathotep, He who is called the Faceless One, and also the Crawling Chaos. Even the cult themselves do not know its location. All who seek knowledge of Nephren-Ka are murdered by the cult, who await a time known as the Great Renewal, when the temple will be revealed, and Nyarlathotep will return."

"Penny. Do we know anything about this 'Great Renewal'?" Vi asked.

"Never heard of it. When is it supposed to happen?" she asked 'Moustapha'.

"That also is unknown. There is a Great Cycle, when certain stars come into a particular configuration, but the length of the cycle, and which stars are involved, no-one knows. All that is known is that the stars were right during the reign of the Black Pharaoh, more than four thousand years ago, after the end of the Old Kingdom. Some speculate that this may have been the cause of the Old Kingdom's fall. There was an intermediate period of over a century before the founding of the Middle Kingdom. This may have been because of the aftermath of the Black Pharaoh's reign."

"Do you know anything about an object called the Shining, er, something?"

"There is a legend that Nephren-Ka held an amulet of great power, the Shining Shape-of-non-Euclidean-geometry. I regret to say that I can offer no better translation of its name. Exactly what powers the amulet possessed are not known, except perhaps to the inner circle of the cult."

"I think I preferred 'Shining Something'," Bo commented. "Penny. Do you think we should show Moustapha the scroll?"

"I don't see what harm it could do. Vi?"

Vi felt reluctant to share any of their information with the interloper. "The scroll is priceless, you told me."

"But if it can lead us to the temple . . . Perhaps mister Ali will see something in it that I've missed?"

"Oh, fuck it, then. We can always shoot him, I suppose."

Vi watched as 'Moustapha' read the scroll. He handled it reverently, and seemed excited by what he read. When he reached the signature at the bottom of the scroll, his hands began to shake.

"If only you possessed the amulet, you could perform the ritual, and discover the temple," he said.

Vi gave a snort of derision. "You believe in magic, mister 'Ali'?"

"Certainly. I believe that it is a kind of technology which has been mostly lost to us. The Sufi teachings have much to say about what you would call magic."

Vi saw Penny and Bo exchange a look.

"I guess we could give it a try?" Bo said uncertainly.

"It needs virgin's blood," Penny said with a crooked smile. "Any virgins here?"

"Umm . . ." Lily raised her hand.

'Moustapha' looked at Penny wide-eyed. "Surely you do not mean that you have the amulet in your possession?"

"I guess the tall dude gave it to me - to give to you - for a reason," Bo said to Penny.

"What 'tall dude'?" Vi demanded. "What haven't you told me?"


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

Vi didn't believe what she'd just heard. "You're seriously telling me you met this god, this Nyarlathotep? You're out of your fucking mind."

Bo was defensive. "I'm only telling you what I saw. Anyway, that's why I didn't tell you, cos you'd think I was out of my fuckin mind."

"Maybe there was some kind of gas in this cave," Vi speculated. "You must have been hallucinating. Or maybe you met one of the cultists, dressed up. There's no way you met some ancient fucking god."

"So how did I get to London?" Bo asked. Vi heard a note of restrained annoyance in his voice.

"Shit, I don't know. Look, Bo . . . You can't expect me to believe this stuff. I don't mean to insult you, but you're just not making any sense. I don't believe in magic - or gods, for that matter. I do believe in drugs, hypnotism, brainwashing . . . There has to be some rational explanation for what you experienced, but magic? That's bullshit."

"What if we try this ritual, and it works?" Penny asked.

"I still won't believe it."

~~~{{OO}}~~~

Aqrba watched as the Setepenra woman placed a wooden box on the table. His heart hammered. Could this truly be the sacred amulet? Would the God have entrusted it to some European infidel? It didn't seem possible. If it was the amulet, then the temple would be revealed at last - the rite of Ibn Ghazi didn't have the power to overcome the spells which protected the temple - and the Great Renewal would indeed have begun. The woman opened the box. Aqrba saw a strangely-shaped metal box within it, made from a yellow metal that was not gold or brass. It was as described in the ancient writings - the vessel of the Sacred Amulet of Nephren-Ka!

"What do you make of the carvings?" the woman asked.

It took all his courage to reach out and take the metal box in his hands. He examined the designs carved in relief on the top and sides. They showed representations of the Elder Gods.

"I have never seen anything like them," he lied.

"We haven't opened the box," the woman told him.

"May I?" Aqrba could hardly breathe.

"Go ahead," she said, stepping back away from the table. The American moved protectively towards her, and she grasped his arm.

Aqrba reached for the lid with a shaking hand and lifted it. It raised at a peculiar angle, revealing a large gem that glowed with a dark red light, set in a ring of the same yellow metal the box was made from. The ring was connected to the sides of the box by bars of that same metal. He leaned forwards to look more closely at the gem.

The red light seemed to become a red darkness which reached out to him - or he fell into it. There was a sense of vastness, and behind the swirling red-black, something formless yet somehow terrible . . .

"Mister Ali?" Someone was shaking his shoulder. He looked up at the Setepenra woman, then back at the box. Trying not to let the gem catch his gaze again, he closed the lid.

"You zoned out for a minute, there," the American said. Aqrba forced himself to smile.

"My apologies. The gem is quite fascinating, is it not?"

"I suppose so," the woman said.

The infidels' apparent leader, the aggressive woman, had taken the third woman, the quiet one, to retrieve the aircraft. She seemed to have no interest in the amulet - the very idea of it seemed to make her angry.

"Will you attempt the ritual?" Aqrba asked.

"I don't know if we can," the woman responded. "It seems very complicated."

"On the contrary, it is very simple. You need only a small amount of virgin's blood, and a clear sense of the ritual's purpose in the mind of the seeker. The other details of the ritual merely serve the purpose of preparing and focussing the mind."

"Well, Lily can definitely be focussed, we know that," the American said to the woman with a wink. Aqrba had no idea what he meant by that, but was interested to note that the woman blushed.

"You misunderstand," Aqrba told the fool. "The donor need not be the one who seeks knowledge; indeed, it would be unusual if it were so. The seeker must gaze into the gem, and hold a firm idea of the purpose of the ritual in his or her mind. That person must not be distracted by any emotion, such as . . . fear, for example."

"Well, don't look at me, then, cos that thing scares the shit out of me," the American said.

"Me too," the woman said, "and I don't like the idea of Lily having to . . . cut herself."

"A very small cut, for example on the fleshy part of the palm, will suffice. A few drops of blood would be enough."

"How do you know all this?" the American asked.

Aqrba reminded himself that he must be very careful what he said to these fools. "My group has some knowledge of the practices of the cult. Their rituals are blood rituals, all of which take much the same form."

The American continued to regard him with suspicion. "I don't like this. And you seem to know far too much-"

"Oh, leave the poor man alone," the Setepenra woman interrupted. "He's trying to help us." She smiled at Aqrba. "I'm sorry that we've given you such a rough reception. Vi can be a bit . . . forceful, but she's really a good person, once you get to know her."

"Thank you," he said gravely, stifling the urge to laugh in her face. "It is of course entirely understandable. Perhaps, in time, I will earn the trust of all of you." And then, he thought, I will slaughter you like the pigs that you are.

~~~{{OO}}~~~

Penny opened the medical kit and took out the scalpel. It was sealed in plastic to keep it sterile. "Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked Lily.

Lily nodded. "I'm not scared. I want to do my part, you know, make myself useful."

"We're lucky you came along," Bo said with a smile. "Where would we have gotten a virgin in the middle of the desert?"

Lily blushed and giggled.

"This is fucking ridiculous," Vi growled. She stood apart from the rest of them with her arms folded. Clearly, she wanted no part of it.

Penny didn't want to do this either. But they had to find the temple, and if this worked, it would be well worth it. It occurred to her that it might also have the effect of making Vi a bit more open-minded.

They had decided to let Moustapha do the actual crystal-gazing, since he seemed to know so much about the ritual. Bo had been firmly against that, but when Penny had said that she would have to do it herself, then, he had changed his mind.

Lily unwrapped the scalpel, and Penny swabbed the heel of her palm with surgical spirit.

"Ready when you are," Lily said cheerfully.

Moustapha raised the lid of the box. "Proceed."

Lily gave a little gasp as she pushed the scalpel's blade into her flesh. Blood trickled down her arm. She held her hand over the gem and made a fist. Blood dripped onto the gem, which made a sound very much like a moan. The dark red glow brightened, lighting up Moustapha's face. He was staring into the gem with intense concentration. The scarlet glow changed to a blaze of blueish purple. Bo's hand gripped Penny's arm; "I've seen that colour before," he whispered. "The light from the space-fungus." Penny couldn't look away.

A laser-like beam shot out of the gem.

Moustapha sat back and sucked in a big gasp of air, as if he had been holding his breath. Penny saw that sweat was pouring down his face. "It is done," he said.

Penny stepped forward and took Lily's hand. "Let's get that cleaned up," she said. Lily gave her a look of adoration.

"Now do you believe?" Moustapha asked Vi.

"So it's a fucking laser. Nothing magical about that." Penny glanced at her. She looked shaken. As Penny swabbed Lily's hand with surgical spirit and put a plaster over the cut, Vi picked up the cedar box and held it in the path of the beam. The light passed through it uninterrupted. She examined the box. "No hole," she said in a puzzled voice. She put the box down, walked around the table and picked up a jerry can of water. When she placed it in the path of the beam, the light passed straight through. "I don't like this. This must be some kind of radiation or something. Make sure you don't get in the way of it. It could be dangerous."

Moustapha put his hand into the beam. "It seems harmless," he said.

"I think Vi is right," Penny said. "I don't think you should do that."

"What happens if you close the lid?" Vi said. She reached over, avoiding the beam, and snapped the lid shut. The beam cut off. "Well, it doesn't pass through the yellow metal."

"You retard!" Bo exclaimed. "We'll have to do it all over again now!"

Vi reopened the lid. The beam shone out in the same direction as before. She grinned at Bo. "I'll let you have that one, but next time you call me a retard I'll slap the snot out of you." She took a compass out of her pocket and placed it on the table below the beam. "West nor'west. Roughly the right direction. Well, I guess we follow it. But I still don't believe it's magic."


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

It was just past two in the afternoon by the time they had finished packing. Vi set the amulet's box on the dashboard, fixed it in place with gaffer tape and drove in the direction of the beam, while 'Moustapha' - she still didn't believe that was his real name - followed in his Toyota. She kept an eye on the milometer; when twenty miles had gone by, she spoke to Bo.

"Your mate Vinnie must have been driving much too fast. No wonder you blew a tyre. Surely it can't be much further?"

"I guess it could have been later than I thought when we crashed," he shouted back. "Can we stop for a minute, by the way?"

"What for?"

"I'm gettin thirsty, and there's no way I can pour out a cup of water while we're movin."

"Wait a second - the beam's pointing into the ground!" She stopped the Humvee and pointed ahead. "See?" The horizon was closer, and the beam was definitely meeting the ground in the near distance.

"There was a rise in the ground just before we got to the compound," Bo said. "That must be it."

Vi drove forwards. The beam from the amulet dipped more steeply until it was passing through the Humvee's bonnet. As Vi drove, the beam emerged from the dashboard, now pointing downwards and to their rear. "What the fuck?" Vi exclaimed. She stopped the vehicle again.

"Me and Vinnie walked a long way underground, down the steps and through the caves, so I guess the beam is pointin at the temple itself, not the tunnel entrance under the compound. You might as well drive on."

As they topped the rise, the compound came into view. Vi drove up to the fence and stopped.

"Why don't you just drive through it?" Penny asked.

Vi laughed. "That only works in the movies. The wire would catch on the roof and trash the microlight. Easier to cut the fence." She turned to speak to Lily, who was riding in the back. "Lily, see that box there? No, that one. Yeah. Open it up. Can you see wire cutters in there?"

Lily rummaged. "These?"

"No, they're pliers. The pointy ones."

"These?"

"No, they're needle-nose pliers. Shorter point."

"These?"

"Good girl! Pass them over."

~~~{{OO}}~~~

Vi cut the fence, drove into the compound and parked in front of the second hangar. The Toyota pulled up behind. Vi got out and stretched, then walked to the rear of the Humvee to let Lily out. She took Lily's arm to help her, and their eyes met for a second. Lily winced slightly - Vi realised she was gripping the girl's arm a bit too hard - but there was something else in her eyes. They seemed to say "Wow, you're so strong!" Oh no, Vi thought, I was right. She'd noticed that Lily seemed to have stopped gazing at Penny all the time, and had caught the girl looking at her on several occasions. I really don't need this, she thought. And anyway, I'm old enough to be her mother. She let go of Lily's arm and spoke to Bo. "Which side was the hole you found?"

"Down here," he said, pointing between the second hangar and the first.

"Someone should stay with the vehicles," Vi said. "Bo, you need to lead the way, and you need Penny with you since she's our expert on archaeology. Shit, I guess I'll have to be the one to stand guard. No offence," she said to the Egyptian, "but it can't be you, or you," she added to Lily.

"I don't want to go in there," Lily said. "Can I stay here with you?"

"Oh fuck," Bo said. "Here comes trouble." He was looking back towards the hole in the fence. Vi looked, and saw three jeeps coming over the rise.

"History police, I think," Vi said, "but just in case, you guys get behind the wall there. Bo: with me."

She and Bo crouched at the rear of the Toyota and held their assault rifles ready. One of the jeeps stopped at the fence. The other two drew up alongside the Toyota and the Humvee.

The driver of the leading jeep spoke out of the open window. "Lower your weapons, please. I am Detective Inspector Rashid. I am not here to arrest you. I wish to speak to Setepenra Templegate. I and my colleague will step out of our vehicles now." He opened the jeep's door and stepped out. The officer in the second jeep followed suit.

"We wasn't sure if you might be from the cult," Bo said. He had lowered his rifle, but hadn't yet engaged the safety catch.

"Inspector Rashid." Penny emerged from between the hangars. "Now that you've finally deigned to speak to me, perhaps you can tell me how the investigation is going? You remember? My father's . . . murder? I tried to contact you, but you weren't willing to speak to me." Vi thought Penny looked about ready to explode with repressed fury.

"The investigation is proceeding satisfactorily, miss Templegate. I regret to say, however, that I have no new information for you at the present time."

"Then how is that 'satisfactory'?" Penny walked right up to Rashid and glared at him. Vi was impressed; she wouldn't have thought Penny had it in her to be so assertive.

"Miss Templegate. My department has been investigating Al Abaadh mn Alfwdha for a very long time. This is no ordinary case. Everything that can be done is indeed being done."

"Well, it looks to me like the only real progress you've made so far has been by following us," Penny fumed.

"Certainly, you have done remarkably well-"

"Don't you _dare_ patronise me!" Penny shouted into his face. "You've treated me appallingly, refused to even _speak_ to me, you arrogant bastard."

"I fully understand that you are upset, and not without reason. However-"

"You-"

Rashid held up his hand. "_However_, I wish to point out that my department has, in fact, made considerable allowances for you. We have allowed you to enter our country using false documentation. We have allowed you to purchase illegal weaponry. If you behave reasonably, we will allow you a role in our continuing investigation. I must make you aware that you could be arrested and charged with these very serious crimes, and indeed would be so charged if my department were to withdraw its protection."

Vi decided to step in. "Penny. You know there's more to this than an ordinary murder investigation. I'm not sure how much of what you and Bo have told me I can believe, but I can see that there's something big going on here. The inspector is offering to keep us in the loop, and it's true that he could arrest us - and we'd be in big trouble - so you need to calm down, however much your anger is justified."

"I _am_ calm!" Penny shouted at her.

"Dude," Bo said gently. "The temple?"

Penny let out a long breath and ran her hands through her hair. "You're right. Let's get on with it."

Vi went to the back of the Humvee and came back with an electric lantern, two maglite torches and a roll of gaffer tape. She handed the lantern to Penny, and one of the maglites to Bo, then taped the other to the scope of her rifle.

"Don't I get a torch?" Lily asked.

"I thought you didn't want to go inside," Vi said.

"If you're all going, I want to come with you," Lily insisted. She gave Penny a look of appeal.

"Well, okay, but we didn't bring equipment for you," Vi told her. "You stick with Penny. You can hold the lantern for her if she needs both her hands at some point." She passed the roll of tape to Bo and turned to Rashid. "Leave your men out here-"

"You are not giving the orders in this situation, miss Maynard-"

"We'll see about that. Mister 'Ali'? I suppose you'd better come along as well."

'Moustapha' had remained quiet through all this. Vi remembered that he'd said he didn't trust the History Police. He was now looking very uncomfortable.

"Of course, I must accompany you," he said.

"Who is this person, please?" Rashid asked Vi.

"He says his name is Moustapha Ali, and he represents a group opposed to the chaos cult. Some sort of victim support group."

"I am not aware of any such organisation," Rashid said. "Abdullah: handcuff this man." The officer stepped towards 'Moustapha'.

"Please! I have committed no crime. You must allow me to-"

"You are a terrorist suspect," Rashid said coldly. "As such, you have no rights. Miss Maynard: shall we?" He gestured towards the alley between the hangars.

Vi was glad to be relieved of the responsibility of dealing with 'Moustapha'. Let the History Police worry about him, she thought. "How come you've never found this place yourselves?" she asked Rashid.

"The installation does not show on our satellite images."

"How can that be?"

"There is . . . advanced technology involved." Rashid looked shifty.

"Some sort of Klingon cloaking device?"

"Umm, wasn't it the Romulans who had the cloaking device?" Lily put in. Vi laughed.

Bo stopped next to a patch of metal which had been spot-welded onto the wall of the hangar. "This is where the hole was."

Rashid looked closely at the join around the metal plate. "Please accompany me," he said, and walked back towards the vehicles. They ignored him.

"So, how do we get in?" Vi asked. "We didn't bring an oxyacetylene torch."

"Maybe Rashid did," Bo suggested. They looked towards the vehicles. Rashid reappeared, carrying something. As he got closer, Vi saw that it was a small canvas pack.

"You will have to return to the vehicles, ladies and gentleman," Rashid told them as he opened the pack. "This is plastic explosive," he added as he removed a block of something wrapped in waxed paper.

"Cool," Bo said, then looked sheepish as Vi caught his eye.

"Okay then, everyone out of the alley," she said. She noticed a look of irritation briefly cross Rashid's face. That's right, she thought. I give the orders.

Rashid emerged from the alley and advise them to cover their ears. He held up a device the size of a mobile phone and fitted a key into a slot on the front of it. "Detonating in three, two, one-"

The blast was shockingly loud in the desert silence. Dust and small stones blew out of the alley. They waited for a minute while the gentle breeze cleared the air, then walked back between the hangars. Bo was the first to reach the hole. There was a large, ragged opening where the metal plate had been. Bo looked inside, and Vi heard him make an inarticulate sound of surprise.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

"What is it, Bo?" Penny asked.

"It's gone!" He stepped inside the hangar. She stepped in after him, closely followed by Vi and Lily, then Rashid. "The giant scarab thing. It was here."

Penny switched the lantern on, held it up and looked around the empty hangar. "I believe you, Bo. But there's nothing here now."

"Except this." Bo pointed to the hatch set in the middle of the floor.

"Open it," Rashid ordered.

"Vi?"

"Sure, go ahead."

Bo opened the hatch and stood back as it swung down, aiming his assault rifle at the aperture. "That . . . thing could still be down there," he said.

"The spaghetti monster?" Penny asked.

"Another one of these gods you keep meeting?" Vi added.

"Not that spaghetti monster," Penny told her, "the thing that chased Bo and Vinnie into the lift."

"Okay, here's how we work it," Vi said. "I'll take point while the rest of you wait on the steps without entering the tunnel. I'll go left first and check out the third hangar, to make sure there's nothing behind us. We'll then move up to the next set of steps, and I'll check the first hangar. We'll do the same with the next three sets of steps before we continue down towards the temple. Bo: how many of us will fit inside the lift?"

"Lift?"

"The elevator."

"Oh. All of us - it's pretty big, I guess." Penny thought he seemed preoccupied. Understandable under the circumstances.

"Bo? You okay?" she asked.

He gave her a wan smile. "Define 'okay'."

Vi switched on her maglite and focussed it to a tight beam which she shone down the steps. "No sign of malignant pasta. Everyone ready? Let's go."

Bo followed Vi down the steps.

"You don't have to come," Penny told Lily. "You can wait for us outside if you like." She could see that the girl was scared.

"I'd rather stick with you guys," Lily said in a shaky voice.

"After you, ladies," Rashid said. "I will be the rearguard."

"Whatever," Penny snapped. She took Lily's hand and led her down the steps.

~~~{{OO}}~~~

Bo explained how the hatch handles worked, and Vi went off to check the third hangar. She returned after a couple of minutes.

"All clear. No space-beetles, no monsters." She continued along the tunnel. The others followed, waiting at the bottom of each set of steps as Vi checked out the other buildings. All were empty. When she returned from the last building, where Bo and Vinnie had found the strange machinery, she reported that it was now an empty shell.

"Somebody's been here and cleared everythin out," Bo said. "Did you check the side rooms, where the meathooks were, and the round chamber?"

"No," Vi said, "I didn't think I'd bother. Of course I did. They're just empty rooms, plain breeze-block walls and concrete floors. If there ever was anything there, it's not there now."

"You think I made that shit up?" Bo objected. Penny put a hand on his arm.

"I believe you, Bo. But Vi isn't going to believe anything she doesn't see for herself, you know that." She gestured towards the final set of steps, the ones that led downwards. "The temple is the important thing."

They went down the steps, and came to the hatch in the floor.

"They musta took the jerry can as well, the one I dropped here," Bo said. He opened the hatch. "You wanna go first?" he asked Vi.

"Sure, why not?" Vi shone her light into the hole, then turned round and lowered herself down. Bo followed, then Penny. As she propped herself on her arms, her legs dangling, she felt him grasp her waist and take her weight. He lowered her to the floor, then did the same for Lily. Rashid came last.

"How is the mechanism operated?" he asked Bo.

"I guess it starts automatically when you shut the hatch."

Rashid closed the hatch, and Bo shone his light on the alcove, where sand began falling past. When the lift stopped and they climbed out, Vi shone her light up the shaft above. "No cables, no counterweight. Maybe there's some kind of piston underneath . . ."

"It seems strange to have the entrance in the ceiling," Penny said. "I wonder . . . That suit Bo found, with the long arms-"

"These matters will be investigated in more detail subsequently," Rashid interrupted. "May we proceed?"

"Okay," Vi said. Penny was surprised that Rashid seemed to have accepted Vi's leadership. Of course, she hadn't given him much choice in the matter.

After about thirty metres, they came to the hexagonal antechamber. There were hieroglyphs on the four side walls. Penny held up the lantern. "This is the cartouche of Seth-Peribsen!" she exclaimed.

"Penny . . ." Vi was shining her light into the chamber beyond. Penny stepped up next to her and looked into the vast pillared space. For a moment, she couldn't think - she just stood and stared. A central aisle led into the darkness between two rows of stone pillars of typical Egyptian shape: bulbous, with stylised papyrus reed crowns. To the left and right, steps led up to doorways, and another row of pillars paralleled the central rows. Beyond these, the walls were lined with alcoves, out of which spilled heaps of gold artefacts.

"No bones," Bo said. "There were bones mixed in with all the gold shit."

"If only my Dad could . . ." Penny's voice choked off. She took a deep breath, then walked around the pillars which flanked the steps leading up to the chamber on the left and approached the first of the alcoves. She held the light high and gazed at the carelessly heaped, priceless relics. There were all kinds of vessels, furniture, statuary . . . There must be more stuff in here than is held in every Egyptian collection of every museum in the world, she thought. It was mind-boggling. It made the treasures of Tutankhamun look like a car boot sale.

"We need to go to the altar," Bo told her. They walked across the stone-flagged floor, between the rows of columns to the central aisle. The aisle led to an open space. Steps led up on either side to doorways like the ones by the entrance. Ahead was a large stone altar, with a smaller stone platform behind it. Either side of this platform, more steps led to sets of double doors. The doors on the left were open. Bo led the way up the steps, his rifle held ready. The chamber beyond was empty, its walls bare of decoration. Bo shone his light over the back wall. "There was a doorway here! There was steps leading down into the caves . . ."

Penny examined the nearest wall. "This plaster is new," she said.

"There was hieroglyphics," Bo told her. "Whoever cleared out the surface buildins musta covered them up, I guess. I can't understand why they never took the treasure, though. Why take everythin else, and leave all the gold behind?"

"It is time for us to return to the surface," Rashid announced. "I must report to my superiors."

"I want to take a look at those other chambers," Penny said.

"I'm afraid I must insist, miss Templegate. You will, of course, be permitted to return under the supervision of the Cairo Museum, who will be assuming responsibility for this find. Your part, and the part of your father in leading to this discovery will be fully acknowledged."

Vi leaned close and whispered in her ear. "Better not argue, considering. Otherwise, you might not be 'permitted to return'."


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty-one**

They returned to the surface without incident. Penny was feeling strangely disappointed. The temple was the greatest find in the history of Egyptology, and yet . . .

She analysed her feelings. She had been expecting the monsters, alien machinery and weird caves that Bo had told her about. She hadn't _wanted_ to encounter monsters, of course, but she had wanted Bo to be able to tell Vi 'I told you so!'. She still believed that he'd seen all those things, and for his sake she wished that she and the others had seen them too. Also, being rushed out of the temple almost as soon as she'd entered it had rather ruined the occasion, and the fact that Dad wasn't there to see it was another thing that had spoiled the find for her. Now the Cairo Museum would take over, which would have happened anyway, but . . .

"Penny? You okay?" Bo was looking at her with concern.

"I wish Dad was here. If only this had all happened differently . . ."

Vi walked up to them, looking furious. "That arsole Rashid says we can't leave the site. He's gonna confiscate our weapons, our radios and phones, the Hummer and the microlight. We've been ordered to set up our tents on the far side of the runway."

"You take him and his sidekick, I'll deal with the one at the fence," Bo said, hefting his SA80.

Vi laughed. "It'd be a tempting idea, except for one thing. Listen."

Penny couldn't hear anything unusual, but she saw Bo's dismay.

"Choppers! Fuck."

"Fuck indeed," Vi said with a grim smile. "I guess we'd better start setting up camp." She got into the Humvee and started the engine. Rashid, who was talking into a radio handset, dropped it and ran over, pulling out a revolver as he came. Vi stuck her head out of the window. "Did you want us to carry all our shit by hand, _mister_ Rashid?" She nodded at his gun. "If you ever point a gun at me again, you better be quick on the trigger."

Penny could hear the helicopters now. She watched Rashid replace the revolver in his shoulder holster, then looked at the sky. There were several black dots in the distance.

"You seem determined to provoke me, miss Maynard," Rashid said.

Vi sneered at him, spun the wheel and revved the engine. Rashid had to jump out of the way as the Humvee lurched forwards in a tight curve. It roared across the runway and swerved into a handbrake turn, stopping in a spray of dust and gravel. Vi jumped out, slammed the door and went to the rear where she began throwing equipment onto the ground.

"Your associate's temper may one day get her into trouble," Rashid said.

"Suck my balls, motherfucker," Bo told him. He took Penny's hand and looked around for Lily, who was standing off to one side and looking upset. "Come on, dollface," he said in a much gentler tone. The sound of the helicopters was a rising thunder as they walked across the runway.

"Penny. You're not wearing your pistol," Vi said.

Penny gave Bo an apologetic look. "It's in my pack."

"Good girl," Vi said with a grin. "Leave it there for now."

"Rashid might not know you have it," Bo said. "So when we hand over the guns, he'll just get our two Glocks and the SA80s." Bo looked wistful. "I never even got to fire this beauty," he said, actually stroking the assault rifle. Penny couldn't help laughing. He gave her a puzzled look. "What's funny?"

"Boys and their toys."

~~~{{OO}}~~~

The helicopters arrived while they were setting up camp. Rashid came over with four special forces types carrying Heckler and Koch submachine guns. Vi tossed the Humvee's keys at him.

"Weapons are in the back. I wanna talk to mister 'Ali', by the way."

"May I ask why you wish to do so?"

"I'm an investigator. I investigate."

"Perhaps later. I am rather busy at the moment, and I would of course need to be present."

"Why are you keeping us here?" Penny demanded.

"It is for your own protection, miss Templegate. Al Abaadh mn Alfwdha may wish to interrogate you and your associates." Rashid raised his eyebrows. "Do you wish to leave?"

"No, I _wish_ to go back into the temple and continue my work. I also _wish_ to call my unc- . . . David Matthews, my father's colleague. He'll be worried that he hasn't heard from me."

"I'm afraid I can not permit access to telephones, or to the Internet at this time. There are security issues. However, representatives of the Cairo Museum will be arriving early tomorrow. You may participate in their examination of the temple. For the present, I must respectfully ask that you remain within your encampment." Rashid went to the open tailgate of the Humvee and looked inside. "Miss Maynard? I believe you possess another item: a laser?"

Vi laughed. "Oh, that. Take it, by all means. Have fun with it. Penny? Give him the 'laser'."

Penny retrieved the wooden box from a pile of equipment and gave it to Rashid. He opened the box and looked inside.

"Is this a joke of some kind?" he asked.

"Nope," Vi said with a wicked grin. "That there is the 'Shining Shape-of-non-Euclidean-geometry'. You need a virgin to make it do the laser thing, though."

Rashid stared at her, then placed the wooden box on the Humvee's tailgate and lifted out the yellow metal box. He examined the carvings. "This is the Shining Trapezohedron?" He didn't open it.

So he's heard of it, Penny thought. 'Trapezohedron', eh? "That's how we found the temple," she told him. "It's probably priceless, so don't go running off with it."

"May I enquire how it came into your possession?"

"You wouldn't believe me, dude," Bo said with a crooked grin.

"You may be surprised at what I might believe, mister Cale."

"Well, okay. Nyarlathotep gave it to me when I was in the caves behind the temple's inner sanctum, before he teleported me to London, England." He gave Rashid a challenging look.

"I see." Rashid gave the Humvee's keys to one of his soldiers. "We will speak again later. Good afternoon."

~~~{{OO}}~~~

Vi's mood hadn't improved when she came back to the camp. It was now early evening and the sun was setting.

"Rashid won't let me talk to 'Moustapha'," she said.

"What is it you want to talk to him about?" Penny asked.

"I don't know," Vi admitted. "I've just got a hunch . . . Have we got any of those left," she asked Bo, gesturing at the beer bottle in his hand, "or have you guzzled them all?" She joined them at the table.

"I been goin easy," Bo objected. "We got plenty left." He went to the cooler and got her a beer.

"Where's Lily?"

"She's having a little nap," Penny answered. They sat and watched the History Police operatives, who were setting up floodlights and constructing a sangar on the roof of the largest cinderblock building. Vi pointed to one of the operatives who was climbing a ladder at the side of the building, carrying a large gun.

"That's a gimpy," she observed.

Penny laughed. "What's a gimpy?"

Bo answered. "GPMG, British general purpose machine gun, fifty cal." He grinned at her. "Donchew know nuffink?" he added in a toe-curling attempt at a Cockney accent.

"Are they really expecting the cult to attack?" Penny asked Vi. "They've got a small army here. How big is the cult, anyway? Would they be able to take this lot on?"

"Well, that's one of the things I'd like to ask 'Moustapha'. I suppose I could ask Rashid, but I don't want to ask that bastard for anything, you know?"

"The cult would havta be awesomely well equipped," Bo said. "They'd be up against helicopter gunships, for one thing. They'd need SAMs, not to mention armoured vehicles to make an assault with no cover." He gestured widely at the surrounding flat terrain.

"Okay, I'm gonna ask, but don't take the Mickey. What's Sams?"

"Surface-to-air missiles."

"Bo, have you ever served in the military?" Vi asked. "You seem very familiar with weapons and tactics."

"Nah, didn't fancy all that discipline bullshit. 'Sir yes sir!' Semper fuckin Fi."

Vi looked at him for a moment, then evidently decided not to pursue the question. It was something Penny had been wondering about too, but she had put it down to him being American, and watching too many action movies.

"Anyone fancy dinner?" she asked. "I thought we could try the chicken curry tonight."

~~~{{OO}}~~~

The people from the Cairo Museum arrived mid-morning in three military lorries. Two of the civilians went to stand with Rashid and watch equipment being unloaded. Penny approached Rashid and asked to be introduced to the person in charge.

"Ah, miss Templegate," he began.

"You are Setepenra Templegate?" the older of the two civilians said. "I was very sorry to hear about your father. I had the privilege of meeting him on a number of occasions. He was a greatly respected man in the field."

"Thank you," Penny said.

"My name is Omar Bayoumi. I am the senior professor of Egyptology at the University of Cairo. This gentleman is Nabil Shenouda, the assistant curator of Cairo Museum."

Penny shook hands. The professor was tall, hook-nosed, with extravagantly bushy eyebrows. The curator was short and fat, with the sort of glossy red face which should look jolly, but didn't.

"We have much to discuss, miss Templegate," the professor said. "The finding of the temple was an incredible feat of research."

"My father did most of the work. I just followed up on the scrolls he discovered in the Valley of Kings."

"Ah, but you are too modest! Inspector Rashid has told me of the dangers you have overcome in order to make this discovery."

"You know about the cult?"

"Indeed. I and a few of my colleagues have collaborated with the History Police from time to time. The inspector has been entirely frank with me, as you may also be, if you wish. I must see Nephren-Ka's amulet! That may in itself be a find equal to the temple and all its treasures." He smiled broadly. "You will of course accompany us to the temple?"

"It will be a pleasure."

"Splendid!"

Penny decided that she liked Professor Bayoumi. Not merely because he seemed friendly, but because he had known and respected her dad. She felt a surge of optimism: the professor was evidently keen to involve her in the investigation of the temple, and she also felt that he would be helpful in her dealings with Rashid.

"Inspector," the professor said, "I would like to see the amulet as soon as possible, please."

"Certainly, Professor. If you would accompany me?"

"Miss Templegate," the professor said, smiling and shaking her hand once again, "a very great pleasure to meet you. We will be entering the temple shortly. I hope that will be convenient for you?"

"I'll be there," she promised.

"Excellent. I will see you in a short while, then."

~~~{{OO}}~~~

Bo had insisted on accompanying Penny. He had taken an adapted money-belt from his pack and fitted the Glock and its magazines into it, then put it around his waist so that the gun rested in the small of his back.

"You think we might come across the dog-thing?" Penny had asked him as he crawled back out of his tent.

"Dunno what we might come across. Better safe than dyin in horrible agony."

Vi had chosen to remain at the camp with Lily.

They saw Professor Bayoumi's group walking towards the hangar, and hurried across the runway to meet them.

"Miss Templegate!" the professor greeted her. "And you must be mister Cale."

"Call me Bo," Bo said as he shook the professor's hand.

"Shall we proceed?" the curator said with an impatient gesture towards the hole in the hangar's wall.

"By all means," the professor replied. "After you, sir."


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-two**

The professor's two assistants had brought a step-ladder in order to make the lift easier to enter and exit. The professor had been interested in the lift's mechanism since, as he said, it was obviously not of recent construction, and yet nothing like it had ever been found in any other ancient Egyptian structure. The curator Nabil Shenouda had managed to persuade him to leave it for another day.

When they reached the antechamber, Penny pointed out the cartouche of Seth-Peribsen among the hieroglyphs. Professor Bayoumi was surprised.

"Peribsen was a second dynasty pharaoh. My understanding was that Nephren-Ka dates from the first intermediate period?"

"Peribsen was Nephren-Ka's ancestor," Penny explained. "Which makes sense when you consider that Seth" she pointed to the animal figure surmounting the cartouche "was the god of chaos."

"How do you know that Peribsen was his ancestor?" Bayoumi asked.

"It was in one of the scrolls that my father discovered in the Valley of Kings."

"I must see these scrolls - with your permission, of course. Do you have them with you?"

"I brought copies, but I left the originals-"

"Professor Bayoumi," Shenouda interrupted, "I think you should see this." The curator was standing at the exit of the antechamber, backlit by the pole lights the two assistants had set up in the large chamber beyond. Bayoumi stepped through and stood with his mouth hanging open as he gazed around.

"All the moveable artefacts will have to be taken to a secure storage facility at the museum," Shenouda said. "The History Police will provide escort-" He broke off as Bayoumi walked towards the nearest alcove on the left. Penny followed him, with Bo close at her side.

"Miss Templegate," Bayoumi said, the delighted excitement in his face making him look ten years younger, "some of these artefacts are Mesopotamian! Once we have everything catalogued, we will learn so much about the first kingdom and the first intermediate . . . this is simply staggering." He shook his head. "I am overwhelmed."

Penny smiled at him. "Shall we take a look at the . . . chapels, I suppose we could call them? There's one at each corner of the main chamber." She gestured towards the set of steps that led up to an open doorway on the left. The steps were flanked by pillars at the bottom and top, which bore hieroglyphs unlike any she had ever seen. Penny shone her maglite on a cartouche. "What do you make of this, Professor?"

"Incredible," Bayoumi said. "It appears to be astrological . . . many of these hieroglyphs are completely unknown. This pillar alone is worth a lifetime's study."

"Why don't we go up and take a look inside," Bo said. He sounded impatient.

"What's the rush, Bo?" Penny asked.

"I wanna get around to the inner sanctum. There was a doorway in the rear wall," he told the professor, "but it ain't there now. You guys need to dig through the wall. What's behind there is way more important than all this gold shit. If you're gonna stop to discuss every bit of hieroglyphics you come across, we'll be here all week."

Bayoumi laughed. "Your enthusiasm is commendable, mister Cale - Bo, but I can assure you, the inner sanctum will be fully investigated in time. The temple isn't going anywhere." He mounted the steps. "However, you do have a point. A quick preliminary survey of the entirety would be the most appropriate course." Bo and Penny followed him up the steps. The curator came over to join them.

They reached the top of the steps and entered the chapel. The entrance was at one corner of a large rectangular chamber, made L-shaped by a second, smaller chamber in the far corner, where a shorter flight of steps led up to a doorway flanked by pillars - a chapel within the chapel. Penny shone her maglite around.

The chapel was full of the most bizarre, creepy statues she had ever seen, made from a kind of stone she couldn't identify, black with red sparkles and veins of dark green. They depicted outlandish, hideous creatures unlike anything on Earth, weird things that combined elements of plant and animal, sea and land life, and also other completely alien elements. And yet, there was something strangely familiar about them . . .

"The amulet!" she exclaimed. "These things are like the carvings on the box!" She turned to the professor, who shook his head at her enquiring expression.

"I must confess I am entirely nonplussed," he admitted. "These statues are not of Egyptian workmanship, nor of any other recognisable style of which I am aware."

Bo had mounted the steps to the corner chamber and was examining the closed doors. "Prof-dude," he said, "can you figure out how to get these doors open?"

Bayoumi joined him and played his torch over the doors and their surrounding stone framework. "Nothing immediately suggests itself. Perhaps we should take a quick look into the other corner chapels?"

~~~{{OO}}~~~

The chapel on the right hand side of the temple's entrance had the same layout, but no statuary. Instead, the walls were carved with bas-reliefs depicting scenes of death and disaster; volcanoes, tidal waves, tornadoes and other, less obvious scenes more difficult to interpret. In one scene, people were dying horribly, contorted in agony, vomiting. A plague? Penny wondered. She had found the first chapel extremely unsettling, but this was worse, in a way. Her excitement about the find had, for a while, made her forget about monsters, and Vinnie's terrible death. Now it all came back to her.

Bayoumi tried the doors to the inner chamber but, as in the first chapel, they wouldn't open.

They walked along the right hand wall of the temple which, like the left hand wall, was lined with alcoves, stone arches which went back about twenty feet and out of which spilled more artefacts of gold. The corner chapel was again laid out like the others, but the contents were very different. There were several rectangular stone slabs, fitted with gold hoops at each corner, obviously designed to restrain a human body by the wrists and ankles. Hung on the walls were what could only be instruments of torture.

Penny shuddered. "I don't like this." She hurried out of the chamber and back down the steps. Bo followed her and put his arm around her shoulders.

"You okay?"

"No . . . no, I'm not." She looked into his concerned face. "Bo, I hate this place! It's evil."

"Totally," he agreed. "Maybe we could just take a quick look at the inner sanctum, then get the fuck outta here?"

The professor joined them. "Miss Templegate? Are you alright?" She shook her head. Bo repeated his suggestion.

"Perhaps miss Templegate would prefer to leave immediately? She seems distressed," Bayoumi said.

Penny was a little annoyed to be discussed in the third person. She made an effort to pull herself together. "Let's take a look at this inner sanctum first, shall we?" Bo gave her shoulders an encouraging squeeze, then took his arm away.

"The doors on the left of the altar are open," he told the professor, and led the way around the altar and up the short flight of steps. "There was hieroglyphics all over the walls," he said as the others stepped inside, "but they've gone now. Penny reckons the plaster is fresh."

Bayoumi examined the wall. "I concur."

"You do what?" Bo asked. Penny laughed.

"He agrees," she told Bo. He grinned at her.

"Take a look at the rear wall, Prof," Bo said. "There was a doorway here which led to some weird-ass caves."

Bayoumi ran his hand over the smooth plaster of the rear wall. "Inspector Rashid mentioned that you were the first to discover the temple - by accident, so he said. He mentioned that he intends to debrief you for the details of your adventure."

"He can suck my balls. I been thinkin that maybe it _wasn't_ an accident," Bo said, frowning. "Maybe me and Vinnie was kinda _drawn_ here. This Nyarlathotep dude seems to want our help. I figure maybe he doesn't have any power outside the temple."

"Intriguing," Bayoumi said. "I would very much like to hear your account of the matter. You say that you think Nuy-har-lut-hotep wants your help? I must confess that I'm somewhat mystified by that statement. You are referring to the god of which Nephren-ka was supposedly an avatar?"

"A what?" Bo shook his head. "It's a long story, Prof-dude. Maybe we could discuss it over a beer? I sure could use one right about now."

"Capital idea!" Bayoumi clapped him on the shoulder. "But where would we obtain this beer?"

"Way ahead of ya, dude."

~~~{{OO}}~~~

After Bayoumi had made his preliminary report to Rashid, he walked over to the encampment where miss Templegate and her associates were sitting at a table beneath a canvas awning.

"Prof-dude!" Bo greeted him.

Bayoumi smiled. "No need to be so formal, Bo. You can call me Omar." Bo handed him a beer while Penny introduced him to the other two women. He shook hands.

"Ah, the formidable miss Maynard. You seem to have made quite an impression on Inspector Rashid." Vi laughed. Bayoumi turned to Bo.

"The inspector doesn't know anything beyond the fact that you had been here before, and that your friend was attacked by an animal of some kind. If you're willing to relate the story to me in its entirety, you may rely on my discretion. I gather that you mistrust the good inspector. I have to say that I think you may have gathered a mistaken impression of the man. I myself am certain that his motives are purely altruistic."

"Wha-" Bo began.

"Based on philanthropic ideals." Bayoumi saw the look on Bo's face, and added "Basically, he's one of the good guys. But I give you my word that I won't repeat anything you tell me without your express permission."

"Fair enough," Bo said. "Well, what happened was . . ."

~~~{{OO}}~~~

When Bo had finished, Bayoumi was lost for words.

"I think Bo may have been affected by some sort of drug," miss Maynard suggested, "maybe in the wine that he drank. I for one can't believe that he met an actual god."

Bayoumi saw Bo give her a look of irritation.

"Let's not get into all that again," Penny said. She seemed about to say more when one of Rashid's men approached.

"Miss Templegate. You have a visitor. Please accompany me to the command vehicle."

"I'll come with you," Vi said. "Pleasure to meet you, Professor." She drained her beer and stood. "Who is this visitor, then?" The History Police officer ignored her question.

~~~{{OO}}~~~

The command vehicle was an articulated lorry with very large wheels. The tractor unit had three pairs of wheels and a V-shaped underside which Penny supposed was a form of armour to protect it from landmines. Hydraulic doors opened in the side of the trailer and steps unfolded.

Inside there was a bank of computer screens along one wall. "Impressive set-up you have here, Inspector," Vi commented. Rashid didn't reply. He gestured towards a doorway from which a travel-worn figure was emerging.

Penny gave a scream of excitement when she saw who her visitor was. She flung herself at David and hugged him. "Uncle David!"

David laughed. "Steady on, now, mind my ribs." Penny let go and stepped back.

"How did you get here?" she asked him.

"Well, when you didn't contact me - as you'd promised to, look you - I went to the Egyptian embassy. I was worried, see? Anyway, they told me you'd found something important, but they wouldn't say much about it. Very reluctant, they were. Said you couldn't be contacted for 'security reasons'. Not happy about that, I wasn't, but nothing I could do, isn't it? Then, the next day, I get a call from them. They want me to bring my imaging system to Egypt, but I have to come alone, leave my team behind. Very bloody cloak and dagger. So here I am."

"Mister Matthews will be using his system to perform a survey of the site," Rashid told Penny. "My men are setting up his equipment even as we speak."

"Shouldn't you have asked me or Professor Bayoumi where to survey?" Penny asked. "Where have they set up?" she asked David.

"All around the perimeter of the compound. I'm thinking that the inspector isn't necessarily looking for archaeology."

Rashid nodded. "We need to ascertain if there are any other underground structures in the immediate vicinity," he told Penny. "Certainly, I will consult yourself and Professor Bayoumi regarding subsequent surveys. A tent has been provided for mister Matthews. Presumably you will wish him to join your encampment."

~~~{{OO}}~~~

The survey had revealed three large structures less than a metre below the surface at the end of the runway. Penny, David, and Professor Bayoumi watched as the HP officers dug down to expose part of a flat surface.

Professor Bayoumi inspected it. "It is nothing ancient, I am afraid," he said, gesturing at the hole. "This is modern HAC concrete."

"It will have to be excavated, in any case," Rashid said.

"I would like you to perform a survey of the area immediately east of the temple," Bayoumi told David. "How deeply can your equipment probe?"

"It can provide fine resolution to a depth of fifteen metres. Beyond that, the resolution becomes less clear. But we can get useful data for a depth in excess of a hundred metres."

"You're thinking of the caves Bo discovered behind the inner sanctum?" Penny asked Bayoumi.

"Indeed. Forgive me for saying so, but your friend's account has certain elements which seem rather fantastical. It seems prudent to survey the area behind the inner sanctum's rear wall before committing time and manpower to excavate beyond it."

~~~{{OO}}~~~

It was early evening by the time the second survey had been completed. Penny, David, Bayoumi and Shenouda were gathered in front of David's computer, which had been set up in Rashid's command trailer.

"There is certainly some structure behind and below the temple," Bayoumi commented, pointing to the slightly blurred image on the screen. "Can you give us any additional data, mister Matthews?"

"It's hollow, is all I can say for certain. And there's more of it, extending east."

"Does it remind anyone of anything?" Penny asked. She was reluctant to voice her own thoughts. The others looked at her expectantly.

"Such as . . . ?" David prompted.

"Well, I know it sounds crazy, but . . . it looks very similar to an X-ray I saw of a dinosaur skull. See? That would be the sinus cavity, and the small areas of greater density would be teeth in the front part of the jaws . . ." She blushed, feeling she'd made a fool of herself.

Bayoumi smiled at her. "The same thought had occurred to me, miss Templegate. However, the resemblance must be coincidental, otherwise the skull would be more than a mile long!" He rubbed his hands together. "I think we should excavate the inner sanctum's rear wall as soon as possible."


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty-three**

Bo watched as Rashid's men hacked at the wall. He felt a mixture of excitement and dread as they levered out the large sandstone blocks that had been used to construct the barrier. And who had built it? he wondered. The Chaos cult? Moustapha had said that they didn't know the location of the temple. Nyarlathotep apparently wanted the temple found; did he not want the caves found, though?

Once the HP officers had cleared a sufficient opening, Bayoumi led the others through, shining his D-cell flashlight down the steps. When they reached the caves, Bayoumi inspected the nearest stalactite.

"One would have expected limestone," he said, "but this doesn't appear to be either limestone, gypsum . . . marble . . . any white rock I've ever seen." He produced a rock hammer and chipped off a sample.

"Check this out, Prof-dude," Bo said. He showed him the small pool of water that Vinnie had found. "What d'you make of this?"

Bayoumi looked at the strangely tilted surface. "Inexplicable," he commented as he took a sample. "You and your companion explored further into the caves. How far did you go, and was there anything different along the way?"

"I guess we musta gone a mile or so. Hard to tell, cos we was climbin over all this shit." Bo gestured at the peculiar tangle of stalactites. "It was the same shit all the way, until we got to the big pool, which was the same as this one, only bigger." He shuddered at the memory of that place, and what had happened there. He wanted to get the fuck outta here.

"I want to get these samples analysed as soon as possible," Bayoumi said, "and to survey further east, to see how far the caves extend." He gave Bo a look of sympathy. "We might as well return to the surface now."

~~~{{OO}}~~~

Bayoumi found Rashid supervising the excavation of the concrete structures at the end of the runway. His men were working with picks and shovels, as they had no mechanical digger - a rare oversight on Rashid's part, he thought.

"Inspector. I have some samples which must be taken to Cairo University as soon as may be feasible. Can you arrange something?"

"Certainly, Professor. If you give the samples to my officer," Rashid beckoned one of his men, "they can be flown there immediately. They are samples from the caves?"

"Yes. Rock and ground water. Mister Matthews is setting up for an additional survey east of the previous survey area."

"So my officers inform me. Meanwhile, the sun is setting." Rashid smiled. "We have all had a busy day, have we not?" He gestured at the corner of the concrete block so far exposed by his officers' efforts. "I have equipment arriving tomorrow which will make short work of this. I think we shall adjourn until then." He gave some orders to his men, then invited Bayoumi to join him in the command trailer. "I will have some food brought for us, and we can discuss our progress so far over dinner."

~~~{{OO}}~~~

David's results were unequivocal. The underground structure was indeed in the shape of a reptilian skull a mile and a quarter long. Bayoumi's mind boggled at the idea of such a thing being built below the surface of the desert. The temple itself was amazing enough, but this thing was inconceivable. He, David, Shenouda and Penny discussed the phenomenon, but could come to no conclusions, or even speculations. The structure defied all possibility of analysis. As they agreed to retire for the night, Bayoumi was tempted to ask Penny if Bo had any beer left; he felt he had never needed a drink so badly.

~~~{{OO}}~~~

The next morning, Bayoumi was awakened by the roar of a helicopter, which sounded unusually loud. He crawled out of his tent to find Shenouda and his assistants watching as a large twin-rotor cargo helicopter landed at the far end of the runway. That would be Rashid's mechanical digger being delivered, he thought.

As he shaved in the ablutions tent, one of Rashid's officers came in.

"Professor Bayoumi. The inspector has instructed me to inform you that the analysis of your samples has been received."

Bayoumi had requested that his colleagues at the University work on the analysis as a matter of urgency. They must have worked all night.

"I'll join the inspector at the command trailer as soon as I've finished shaving," he told the officer.

~~~{{OO}}~~~

"You have a message from the University which has arrived via our secure e-mail, Professor," Rashid greeted him. "I have not opened the attachment containing the analysis of your specimens, but I would be obliged if you would apprise me of its contents. You are probably aware that my mechanical excavator has arrived?"

"One could scarcely have missed it," Bayoumi said with a smile.

"Quite so. You will appreciate that I wish to supervise the continuation of the excavation." He gestured at a computer monitor.

Bayoumi clicked on the attachment. What he read there made him feel as if the very ground had dropped away beneath him. He became aware of Rashid making enquiring noises, without really hearing his questions.

"It's bone," he said. "Not rock at all. Bone. And not even fossilised. Fresh. And the water . . . No. It can't possibly be."

"What is it, Professor?" Rashid asked.

Bayoumi looked at him. "It isn't water. It's cerebrospinal fluid. Impossible. That would mean . . ." It occurred to him that he shouldn't reveal this information to Bo, who had actually drunk some of it. "Inspector . . ."

"Professor?"

Bayoumi took a deep breath. "If these results are correct, then that mile-long skull, and whatever it's attached to . . . It seems the thing may be . . . in some sense . . ."

"Yes?"

"Alive."

One of the officers interrupted. He spoke to Rashid in Arabic.

"Sir, the lookout in the sangar has observed a sandstorm approaching."

"Damn. We had better get everyone under cover." He addressed the officer. "The tents will not be sufficient protection. Inform miss Templegate's group, and Professor Bayoumi's group, that they should make their equipment secure and join me in the command vehicle." The officer departed at the double. "Professor," Rashid resumed, "am I to understand that the skull-shaped structure beneath the temple is in fact a skull? How can this be, and how could it possibly be alive?"

"I can't tell you," Bayoumi said, running his hands through his hair distractedly. "If it is fresh bone, and contains cerebrospinal fluid, it must be either alive or very recently dead. The fluid would have dried up otherwise. And yet, it is buried beneath the temple - at least, the nose of it is - so it couldn't have been . . . Dammit, none of this makes any sense! It's like some kind of nightmare."

"On the contrary; it makes perfect sense."

Bayoumi looked round to see an incredibly ugly man emerging from the doorway in the trailer's inner partition.

"You have some information for us, mister Ali?" Rashid prompted.

"Certainly. I know what the thing is." He gave the inspector a challenging look.

"And?"

"I feel that I have been treated appallingly, Inspector. I have given you no reason to mistreat me - indeed I have been as helpful as possible, which has not been appreciated. I could continue to be helpful, if I thought my assistance _would_ be appreciated."

"How exactly would you wish us to demonstrate our appreciation?" Rashid asked.

"Stop treating me like a criminal! I have committed no crime."

"Mister Ali," Rashid said in a carefully neutral tone, "all persons currently present at this site are effectively under protective custody. I remain as yet unconvinced of your professed reasons for being here. You are an unwelcome complication. If you prove to be of no further use to me, I may be forced to take the necessary precaution of keeping you in restraints, or simply having you shot." Bayoumi was taken aback. This was a side of the inspector he hadn't seen before. "You will tell us what you know about this thing below the temple. Perhaps if your information is genuinely useful, I will be persuaded as to the sincerity of your protestations of innocence."

Bayoumi saw something change in the ugly man's face. There was a hint of malice, sly and somehow triumphant. "The skull is that of Tiamat, the Dragon of Chaos, also called the Mother of Abominations. She is neither alive nor dead, only awaiting the Great Renewal. The substance of Her body that lies beneath the temple is . . . incomplete, separated from the other components of Her substance by the gap between the dimensions which is soon to be bridged by the Elder Gods, when Nyarlathotep opens to Yog-Sothoth. Then Tiamat shall rise."

"I gather that this Great Renewal is something you anticipate with enthusiasm, mister Ali," Bayoumi commented. The man's demeanour changed immediately.

"Of course not, sir. It will be a disaster for all mankind. Am I not a man?"

Violet Maynard barged into the trailer. "We'll take shelter in the hangar," she said. "I'll need-"

Rashid interrupted. "I am afraid I cannot permit you to do so, miss Maynard. You must understand that the sandstorm will compromise security. It would provide Al Abaadh mn Alfwdha with the perfect opportunity to attack."

"And also, you want to keep an eye on us."

"Just so. I am gratified that you understand." Bayoumi saw the investigator's jaw clench as she bit back an angry reply. "You have a matter of minutes within which to make your equipment secure. I would suggest that you make haste."

"I need the keys to the Humvee," Vi demanded.

"One of my officers will bring the vehicle to your encampment."

~~~{{OO}}~~~

Professor Bayoumi stood to one side as the inspector barked commands and organised the securing of the site. A few minutes later the doors opened again and miss Templegate's group were escorted in by an HP officer. A gust of wind blew dust in with them. "Get that door shut," Rashid ordered in Arabic.

"Cool trailer," Bo commented as he looked around. He held out a bottle to the professor. "I brung you a beer, dude."

Bayoumi accepted it with a smile. "Very thoughtful of you, Bo. Thank you."

Rashid frowned at the new arrivals. "You are not to touch any of the equipment."

"Relax, dude. Nobody wants to touch your equipment," Bo told him. Miss Maynard gave a snort of laughter. Bo winked at her.

The trailer shook as a gust of wind struck it.

"There is seating in the area through that-" Rashid began to say when a massive explosion rocked the trailer, closely followed by two more. Pandemonium broke out. Rashid shouted orders in Arabic, and his officers shouted back. Bayoumi gathered that they were under attack, but that Rashid's forces couldn't identify where the attack was coming from. He heard Rashid demanding an infrared satellite image.

"There's nothing out there, sir," one of the officers reported. "No incoming fire."

"Report from Central, sir," another called out. "Three aircraft launched from our location. Central want to know . . . stand by." The officer listened to something on his headset. "Aircraft have accelerated to Mach five, sir."

"That is impossible," Rashid objected. "Only a rocket could launch under these conditions, and accelerate so rapidly. Give me the headset."

The officer tore off the headset and jumped out of his chair. Rashid took his place. "Central. We heard three explosions, but as of this moment, we do not appear to be under attack. Request confirmation of your report regarding aircraft launch." He listened. "Mach _twelve_? What is their trajectory?" A pause. "Any identification of vehicle type? . . . I see." Rashid swivelled the seat and addressed Bo. "I think we may have located your scarabs, mister Cale."

~~~{{OO}}~~~

Aqrba was sitting on a bench in the holding cell at the rear of the trailer. One of Rashid's men was standing guard over him, so he was careful not to smile when he heard the explosions. Something was happening out there. Were Al Abaadh attacking? He hoped so.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty-four**

Penny tried to follow what was happening, but her Arabic wasn't up to it. She could pick out a few words here and there, but the rest was either too technical or too frantic. Rashid came over to where Penny and the others stood huddled near the door.

"The sandstorm appears to have abated. You may return to your encampment. One of my officers will accompany you, in order to retrieve the vehicle. I must inform you that everything you have seen and heard within this command vehicle is classified at the highest level. I trust you will understand that any breach of confidentiality would be detrimental to our campaign against Al Abaadh mn Alfwdha."

"All we've seen or heard is some computer monitors and a whole lot of panic," Vi said. "Come on, troops, let's get some lunch."

~~~{{OO}}~~~

After taking a look at the scorched remains of the underground bunkers that the scarabs had launched from, Penny and the others walked back along the runway to their camp site and unpacked everything that they'd haphazardly stuffed into the back of the Humvee and set it all back up again. The HP officer drove their vehicle away, and Penny made lunch. The four of them had just finished eating when Professor Bayoumi came up to the camp.

"Good afternoon," he said. "Miss Templegate, we are about to begin removing artefacts from the temple, which will be catalogued before being loaded onto the lorries prior to their removal to safe storage at the museum. Would you care to join me in overseeing the procedure?"

Penny hesitated for a moment; she really didn't want to go back into the temple. Don't be ridiculous, she told herself, this is the greatest find ever, even if it does have creepy associations. The torture chamber had upset her, but after all, torture had been commonplace in ancient civilisations, and she'd never been so squeamish about such things before. Also, whatever it was that Bo had encountered, it wasn't there now.

"You will be helping me in logging a description of each artefact as it is packed up to be loaded onto the lorry," Bayoumi added as if he understood her reluctance. Tactful of him, she thought.

"Of course, Professor, I'd be delighted to assist."

"Need any help luggin stuff around?" Bo asked. "Some of that shit looked pretty heavy."

"Thank you for the offer Bo, but there's really no need. The inspector's men will be doing all the heavy lifting," the professor told him.

"Oh . . . okay." He seemed disappointed. Penny realised he would be facing an afternoon of boredom, with nothing to do.

As she and the professor walked over to the hangar, he outlined his plan for the site. "We'll remove the more manageable items via the lift and the tunnels. It will take a while, since we can't put too many articles in the lift at any one time - we don't know its maximum load limit, after all. The larger statuary may have to be extracted by other means, or even left in place. It won't be possible to excavate the temple itself, as it lies too deep underground. We're expecting machinery to arrive tomorrow with which we can excavate as far as the top of the lift shaft. It may be possible to widen the shaft to improve access."

A lorry had been backed up to the front doors of the hangar. Crates and packing materials were stacked up next to it. As she reached the back of the lorry, Penny saw that an aperture, about six feet wide and nine feet high, had been cut in the hangar door. She looked inside and saw a forklift truck waiting next to the hatch in the middle of the floor.

~~~{{OO}}~~~

Penny was pleasantly tired when Bo came over to tell her that Lily was making dinner. The sun was low on the horizon and a cooling breeze was blowing from the south.

"Care to join us, Prof?" Bo asked. "Omar, I meant to say."

Bayoumi closed his laptop. "I would be delighted, thank you."

Lily had cooked - or rather, heated up - beef rendang with boiled rice. The spicy Malaysian dish came out of a can, and the precooked rice was from a foil packet. For dessert, Lily had added pieces of dried apple to rice pudding. She blushed when Bayoumi complimented her on the food. Bo handed round warm beers, and Penny told them about some of the more interesting artefacts that had come out of the temple.

The last trace of colour had faded from the western sky when they were approached by one of Rashid's men.

"Professor Bayoumi, miss Templegate. The inspector wishes to speak with you on a matter of importance."

"Vi?" Penny said. "Want to come with?"

"The inspector wishes only to speak with miss Templegate and the professor," the HP officer said.

"Certainly, Penny," Vi said, completely ignoring him, "let's see what old grumpy-bollocks has to say."

The officer made them wait outside the trailer while he went inside to consult Rashid. He came back out a minute later and ushered them in, then showed them through a door into a small conference room. Rashid didn't comment on Vi's uninvited arrival. Penny was surprised to see that Moustapha was also present.

"Good evening, mister Ali," she said. "How have they been treating you?"

"Well enough, thank you, miss Templegate."

"Please be seated," Rashid said, gesturing to the padded seating which lined three walls of the room, except where there was another door in the far right corner. He himself sat in the middle of the rear bench, so that he could face all of those present. Penny and Vi sat on Rashid's left, while the professor joined Moustapha on the inspector's right. A laptop lay on the low table in the middle of the room. "Mister Ali is present because he has some knowledge which may possibly prove to be relevant," Rashid explained. "I propose to brief you on current developments. Certain events have transpired which may or may not be connected to events at our location. Firstly, the three vehicles launched from the bunkers at the end of the runway during the sandstorm: these vehicles travelled vertically, under prodigious acceleration, for which reason we believe them to have been unmanned. They were the cause of an international alert, as the possibility existed that they might prove to be missiles. However, they were subsequently tracked leaving Earth's atmosphere and accelerating directly towards the sun."

An expression of surprise, or possibly excitement, flickered over Moustapha's face before he could suppress it.

"Mister Ali? This has some significance for you?"

"Legends tell of the darkness of Nephren-Ka, when monsters were released upon the people," Moustapha said. Penny was astonished; this was almost word-for-word what she had read in the fifth scroll discovered by her father. "It is a commonplace of the mythology of many cultures that evil may be banished by light. The trajectory of the craft seems suggestive."

"You said that these craft were the scarabs that Bo described," Penny said to Rashid. "Are you sure of that?"

"I spoke in haste," Rashid admitted. "It was an intuitive leap, made in the heat of the moment. However, the Americans have acquired images via their Hubble telescope, which show three craft closely resembling those described by mister Cale." He leaned forward and opened the laptop, brought up the images and turned the screen so that they could see. "Mister Ali. You speculate that these craft may intend to cut off the light of the sun by some means?"

"I can imagine no other purpose in their flight. Certainly, at the previous peak of the Great Cycle, the Black Pharaoh cast the land into darkness. As it was foretold that the temple would be revealed at the time of the Great Renewal, it would seem to follow that the land will be cast into darkness once more."

Penny noticed the suspicious way that the inspector was looking at Moustapha. She thought he was probably thinking that Moustapha seemed to know far too much.

"All this is just mythology," Vi objected. "Professor Bayoumi, you seem like a sensible type. Surely you don't take this nonsense seriously?"

"Your scepticism is understandable, miss Maynard. However, I have been involved in a number of History Police operations in the past, and have learned to keep an open mind."

"There has been an additional development, I regret to say," Rashid told them. Penny saw a complex expression of fear, grief and fatigue cross his face and felt a twinge of sympathy towards him. "A storm has arisen in the South Atlantic Ocean, whose location coincides with the epicentre of recent powerful seismic activity. The storm's behaviour is anomalous; it remains fixed in place, effectively concealing the area below it. Infrared satellite imaging shows a landmass which has risen from the ocean depths, with an average diameter of approximately one hundred and twenty-five miles."

"What are the exact coordinates?" the professor asked. Penny saw fear in his eyes.

"Forty-three degrees South latitude, thirteen degrees West longitude."

"R'lyeh!" the professor exclaimed, then covered his face with his hands and bowed his head.

"Professor?" Penny said. He looked up at her. She was shocked by the haggard look of terror on his face. "R'lyeh? Isn't that some sort of legendary island, like Atlantis?"

"It is known to be more than just a legend," he explained. "The island of the city of R'lyeh has come to the surface before. Fortunately, at that time, the stars were not in the correct configuration to allow Cthulhu to emerge into our universe."

"Whoa!" Vi exclaimed. "Back up a bit, Prof. Are we seriously talking about aliens here, or what the hell are we talking about?"

Bayoumi took a deep breath. "Theoretical physicists tell us that there are many dimensions beyond those we directly perceive. There are entities which inhabit some of those dimensions, which can intersect with the dimensions we perceive at certain times under certain conditions. Our universe exists superimposed upon many others, and sometimes those other universes make contact. Cthulhu is an entity from one such universe."

"And Nyarlathotep too, I suppose," Vi said in a condescending way, as if humouring a lunatic. Penny gave her a warning look; Vi returned a challenging one.

"It is my hypothesis that Ny-har-lut-hotep originates from some meta-universe which lies behind all others. He can only take on physical form by possessing an avatar, such as the so-called Seth animal, or the Pharaoh Nephren-Ka."

"Shit," Vi said, and stood. "I'm gonna go get a beer before Bo drinks 'em all. I can't listen to any more of this crap."


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty-five**

"Vi, you need to see this."

Vi finished the last mouthful of her breakfast and went to join Bo. He pointed to the eastern horizon, where the sun was rising. The yellow orb was surrounded by a solid orange triangle. She stared at it, speechless, for almost a full minute before remembering to look away. When she turned to look at Bo its after-image, a purple circle in a blue triangle was superimposed on his face. She blinked. "What?"

"I said," he repeated, "what do you make of it?"

"Well, obviously, it must be those scarab things putting up some kind of sun screen or something." I do _not_ want to believe this, she thought. Fucking space-beetles! Well, it doesn't necessarily have to be aliens, let alone ancient gods or whatever; some kind of experimental craft, maybe developed with the aid of someone like the CIA . . .

Penny joined them. "Do you think it'll get darker?" she asked. "Maybe they've only started . . . weaving it, and it'll get thicker, to block out the sun altogether."

"I guess we'll find out," Bo said.

~~~{{OO}}~~~

HMS Hastings had been stationed at the Falklands, but had now been sent to monitor the situation in the region of the South Atlantic where the new landmass had arisen. Captain Fitzroy stood on the bridge of the frigate and scanned the horizon with his binoculars.

There was a massive swell, as was often the case in the far south. As each long wave passed beneath the hull, the ship's prow rose up at a steep angle and slammed back down with a thunderous sound, throwing up two huge white plumes on either side. Fitzroy didn't intend to enter the storm surrounding the new island. His orders were to circle the area and to prevent any other vessel from approaching. A single vessel wouldn't be sufficient for interdiction, but the Hastings should shortly be joined by a US Navy task force which would include an aircraft carrier.

A dark line appeared on the horizon. Storm clouds. The sky rapidly clouded over, the wind picked up and it began to rain.

~~~{{OO}}~~~

"The inspector can not speak with you at this time." The HP officer stood in the doorway of Rashid's command vehicle, looking down at Vi, his face expressionless. The one time I actually do want to talk to the cunt, and he's too busy, she thought. Well he can suck my balls, as Bo would say.

"Has he seen the sun?" she asked.

"The inspector is aware of the situation."

Vi bit back an angry retort. No point venting her spleen at the help. She looked up at the sun. It was now an orange disc in a red triangle, halfway to the zenith in a sky that had turned a darker shade of blue. A murky light lay on the surrounding landscape. Vi walked back to the camp. Penny was at the hangar, helping Professor Bayoumi. Bo, Lily and herself had nothing to do except watch the sun darken and drink the last of the beer.

~~~{{OO}}~~~

Captain Fitzroy was almost flung off his feet as the ship lurched violently and shuddered as if it had run aground. The ocean depth this close to the Walvis ridge was around three thousand metres, so whatever the ship had hit, it couldn't be the ocean floor - or could it? A landmass had been uplifted less than a hundred miles from here, after all. Fitzroy looked out of the bridge and couldn't believe what he was seeing. Enormous tentacles were coiling around the forward section of the ship, thick and sinuous, lined with double rows of suckers. Fitzroy squinted through the half-obscuring rain as he saw man-sized figures swarming along the tentacles onto the ship's deck. He sounded General Quarters.

~~~{{OO}}~~~

By noon, the sky had turned a dark twilight blue, with the brightest stars beginning to show. The sun was now a red disc surrounded by a purple triangle. Wisps of the solar corona showed around the edges.

Vi felt a small, soft hand grasp hers.

"I'm scared," Lily whispered.

~~~{{OO}}~~~

Fitzroy heard glass shatter and turned to see a nightmare figure crawling onto his bridge. It was humanoid in outline, but it's face resembled a deep sea fish: enormous bulging eyes, wide gaping mouth full of transparent needle teeth - he raised his carbine, but wasn't quick enough. The creature aimed a thick golden tube which launched a net over the captain. The net immediately tightened, cutting into Fitzroy's flesh. He screamed as his blood spurted and his bones cracked.

~~~{{OO}}~~~

Penny continued to catalogue relics as the stars came out. The sun was now a dim purple disc within a black triangle, outlined by the corona. It was hard to concentrate on the work, but there was nothing else to do, and at least it took her mind off things. She hoped that someone, somewhere was doing something about the scarabs. Maybe the Americans would launch a shuttle armed with missiles.

"I wonder what the hold-up is?" Professor Bayoumi said.

Penny looked up from her laptop. "Hold-up?"

"The forklift hasn't brought anything out for a while now. I'll go and see what's happening."

Penny followed him inside the hangar, glad of the break. Fascinating though the relics were, the work was becoming tedious. The History Police officer who had been operating the forklift was now standing beside it, speaking into a handheld radio.

"What's happening, officer?" the professor asked.

"Nothing has come out for some time now. I have been below, but the lift is at the bottom of the shaft, therefore I can not reconnoitre further. I have requested backup and climbing gear with which to descend."

The officer's radio squawked. He raised it to his ear and listened.

"Stay here," he ordered, then unslung his submachine gun and ran out of the hangar. Penny followed. She paused inside the hangar doors as she heard the stuttering sound of automatic fire outside. The professor joined her.

"Miss Templegate . . ." he said as she peered out of the opening. She felt his hand on her arm. The floodlights were exploding as laser-like beams of greenish light struck them, but by the light of those that remained Penny could see massive saucer-shaped craft surrounding the compound. The beams were coming from wide-shouldered figures with large flat heads. The History Police officer crouched at the tailgate of the truck just a few yards from where she stood, firing in short bursts. There was a flash of greenish light and the officer's torso exploded, spraying her with blood. Penny screamed, and felt herself yanked roughly back into the hangar. The professor dragged her over to the hatch in the middle of the floor and down the steps. Penny shook off his hand.

"I don't want to go down there," she told him. "Something's happened down there."

"We can't remain on the surface," the professor said, "it's too dangerous. We should enter the tunnel and wait by the next set of steps, so that we have a choice of lines of retreat."

"My friends are out there!"

"There's nothing you can do. Please, miss Templegate. We must stay under cover. I don't know what's happening out there, but . . . what did you see?"

"Flying saucers. Aliens with ray guns." Penny wiped ineffectually at the blood that had sprayed over her, then bent over and vomited.

~~~{{OO}}~~~

Rashid was trying to speak to Central and his unit commanders at the same time. Central had told him that nothing had been seen approaching the compound either on satellite images or on radar. The saucer craft had appeared as if by magic, six of them, two at each long side of the perimeter and one at each end. His men were being slaughtered at a terrifying rate.

He opened the general channel. "Withdraw to command vehicle immediately."

Blood sprayed over the monitor screen in front of him. He whipped round to see an outlandish figure squeezing sideways through the doorway. It was pointing a weapon at him, but it didn't fire.

_ "Surrender." _It's voice had a mechanical tone.

"Cease fire," Rashid ordered. "Repeat, all units cease fire immediately." The alien stepped over the body of the officer it had just killed and stood behind Rashid as he continued to speak into the radio mic. "Unit commanders report casualties. Unit Alpha." There was no reply. "Unit Bravo." The creature watched, holding its weapon aimed at him. "Unit Charlie."

"Unit Charlie receiving, officer Mahu responding. They're all dead, Inspector. All dead."


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty-six**

The gunfire ceased. Bo looked out from underneath the Humvee where he and the girls had taken shelter. The floodlights had all been shot out, and the sun was completely obscured, but fortunately Vi had thought to grab the infrared binoculars. Bo watched in monochrome as the aliens rounded up the surviving History Police officers and disarmed them. A group of aliens escorted the officers towards Rashid's command vehicle while the rest withdrew to the boundary of the compound. Bo looked towards the hangar, but couldn't see anything happening there.

"I'm gonna go over to see if Penny's okay," he told Vi, "if the alien dudes will let me. They seem to have stopped shooting people."

"I think you should stay here for now," Vi said, "but if you are gonna go, leave the Glock with me."

"Oh shit," Bo said. Two of the aliens were walking straight towards the Humvee. When they reached the vehicle they stooped, took hold of the chassis and tipped it over. The Humvee rolled onto its roof, leaving the three humans exposed. Bo felt kinda stupid, lying there in the dirt.

_ "Discard your weapon," _one of the aliens said in a toneless, unnatural voice. Bo carefully pulled out the Glock, wondering how they knew he had it, and tossed it aside. _"Stand. Come."_

They were escorted to the command vehicle and ushered inside. There were no more than a dozen officers standing in the computer section, plus five more and Rashid himself sitting at the monitors. An alien stood in one corner, its weapon held ready. Relief showed on Rashid's face.

"I am most happy to see that you have survived," he said. "Do you know the whereabouts of miss Templegate or Professor Bayoumi and his associates?"

Bo answered. "Last we saw they were at the hangar."

Rashid spoke in Arabic to one of his officers, then got up from his seat and moved towards Bo and the others. The alien's weapon tracked him.

"I and these three need to enter the other room," Rashid told the creature. "Is this acceptable?"

The alien gave no reply. They followed Rashid into the conference room, where Moustapha and one of Rashid's officers were sitting on the left hand bench. Another armed alien stood in the right hand corner.

"Mister Ali has some information regarding our visitors," Rashid said. "Please reiterate, mister Ali."

Moustapha looked up and met Bo's eyes. It struck Bo that he was the only one - the only human - here who didn't look shit-scared.

"They are the Kreth. They serve Nyarlathotep."

"Are they aliens?" Vi asked. She glanced at Bo and gave a small shrug.

"Surely this is obvious?" Moustapha replied.

"So, where are they from? What else do you know about them, and how do you know it?"

"They are from a world conquered by Nyarlathotep during a previous cycle. They evolved from creatures similar to spiders, much as humanity evolved from apes. Their saucer craft are invisible to radar, and to the eye, when their obscuring field is active. A similar field has been used to conceal this compound. They have come to secure the compound, evidently, which would appear to indicate that Nyarlathotep will soon emerge from the temple. It is likely that He will be accompanied by the Nargai."

"Who's the nar guy?" Bo asked.

"The Nargai are an artificial life-form, created by Nyarlathotep as His personal guard."

"Are we talkin spaghetti monsters here? Like the thing I saw before?"

Moustapha looked baffled. "Spaghetti?" He shook his head. "You have not told me what you saw before."

"There was a thing like a big dog, with its head full of tubes, like spaghetti made of glass. Me and Vinnie shot it all to fuck, but then we saw another thing that was just tubes and eyes and teeth and purple slime."

Moustapha's unnaturally long jaw dropped and he stared wide-eyed at Bo. "You encountered a shoggoth, and yet you live?"

"Vinnie didn't live." Bo lunged forwards, grabbed Moustapha's shirt and hauled him to his feet. He pushed his face right up against the ugly face of the Egyptian. "How come you know so much, motherfucker?"

"Bo," Vi said in a warning voice. She glanced towards the alien. Bo followed her eyes and saw that the alien hadn't reacted.

"I'm gonna beat some straight answers outta this fucker-"

"Please," Moustapha begged, "I am answering all of your questions! If I was not on your side, I would not be telling you what I know. I am helping you as best I can!"

"_How_ do you know this shit?" Bo growled.

"I have told you! We infiltrated Al Abaadh, and learned many of their secrets, which I am sharing with you. Please, my fr- . . . mister Cale."

Bo threw him back down. "I don't trust this fucker. Somethin ain't right about him."

Vi nodded, and gave Moustapha a hard look. "I'm with you on that, Bo."

"I also do not trust this man," Rashid said, "but while he is in my custody, you will not assault him, mister Cale. I hope we are all civilised" - he glanced at the alien - "persons here."

Bo could see his point; they were themselves prisoners of these Kreth dudes, after all. He looked more closely at the alien standing impassively in the corner. It was wearing an all-in-one suit of brown, scaly leather - exactly like the suit he had found before - and holding a weapon like no gun he had ever seen. He now saw that what he had initially taken to be some sort of equipment on the chest of the suit were in fact two additional pairs of folded arms, one pair smaller than the long, powerful arms attached to the creature's wide shoulders, and another pair in between, smaller still, with long, thin fingers. Each arm's hand had four fingers arranged in opposing pairs. Six arms, two legs: eight limbs in all. Moustapha had said they'd evolved from spiders. Bo couldn't see into the silvery glass of the creature's saucer-shaped helmet, which was probably a mercy.

~~~{{OO}}~~~

"The shooting seems to have stopped," Penny said. "I'm going to go back up and take a look."

"I don't think-" Professor Bayoumi began, then stopped as a scuttling sound came from further down the tunnel.

Penny ran up the steps, closely followed by the professor. As she stepped back into the hangar, she saw several outlandish figures, the same as those she had earlier seen outside, some of which were fiddling with the lights that had been set up inside the hangar. She heard a gasp from the professor behind her, and turned to see that he wasn't looking at the aliens. He was looking at what was emerging from the hatch in the hangar's floor. He took her arm and backed away as first one, then another and another scuttled out of the hatch.

They were scorpion-like, with squid-like heads, about nine feet long from tentacles to sting. Half a dozen of them encircled the hatch, while another three approached Penny and the professor.

The lights went out.

Penny stood frozen, not daring to move, as her eyes adjusted to the dim bluish-purple light coming from the large squid-eyes of the scorpion things, and from lozenge-shaped glowing devices on the shoulders of the aliens. By that minimal illumination, she could see a tall figure stepping out of the floor hatch. It wore a hooded robe and was half again as tall as a human. It turned to her and spoke in a voice like a thousand people whispering in unison.

"_Setepenra Templegate. You will serve me_."

Penny could hear a high-pitched humming sound in her head, as if she was about to faint, but somehow she found the courage to reply.

"You must be Nyarlathotep."

"_There is indeed no peace of mind in the Hall of Judgement. There is much to be achieved if your race is to survive_." A complex series of clicking sounds came from the figure's hood. When a similar clicking came from one of the aliens, Penny realised that Nyarlathotep was addressing them in their own language. "_You will accompany me to where the other humans are gathered_."

Numb with shock, Penny and Bayoumi followed Nyarlathotep, flanked by the scorpion things and the aliens. As they approached Rashid's command trailer, Penny saw that a group of no more than two dozen people were standing huddled together in front of it, surrounded by more aliens. Are these all that are left? she wondered. She was very relieved to see Bo, Vi, Lily and David standing together amid the group of History Police. Rashid and Moustapha were also there, but there was no sign of any of Professor Bayoumi's group.

Moustapha fell to his knees and bowed forwards until his forehead touched the ground. Bo stepped towards him and kicked him. "Motherfucker! I knew it!"

"Bo!" Penny called to him, afraid that his actions would provoke retaliation.

"_Humans_," Nyarlathotep said, "_be silent and listen to me. You will serve me, or you will die. Those who serve me well may be rewarded. Who among you may liaise with the leaders of your race?_"

Rashid stepped forward. "I am Inspector Rashid. I represent the Egyptian authorities in this situation."

"_You are willing to cooperate?_"

"I will cooperate fully, on the condition that no more of my people are killed."

"_You are in no position to negotiate conditions. I require unconditional submission from all of humanity. The alternative is immediate extermination. You will cooperate, Inspector Rashid?_"

"I will cooperate." Rashid's eyes met Penny's. She saw desperation in them.

"_I wish to meet with your leaders, and the leaders of all human nations which have thermonuclear capability. There is that which threatens your world from which only I can save you. You will decide that submission to me is preferable to the complete extinction of all life on your planet._"

"You refer to Cthulhu?" Rashid asked. "Is he not one of your kind?"

"_Cthulhu is but a representative of the Elder Gods. I refer to those who Cthulhu would bring through the Gateless Gate. I will speak more of this to your leaders. The Kreth will convey all present to the seat of your government. Inspector Rashid, you will indicate the appropriate destination._" Nyarlathotep clicked to the Kreth.

"Perhaps I should communicate with the government first?" Rashid suggested, gesturing towards the command trailer. "It could prevent panic, and additional bloodshed. Also, it may take some time to gather all the civil and military leaders together."

"_If your intention is to forewarn them, it will be of no efficacy._"

"I have agreed to cooperate. As a man of honour, I abide by my word. I am merely informing you that the relevant authorities will not be conveniently gathered in one place unless apprised of the need to do so."

"_Very well. You may communicate with your superiors. You will be escorted to rejoin these others aboard the Kreth ship once you have done so._" Nyarlathotep turned to Penny. "_Setepenra Templegate. Instruct the others to follow your lead. I appoint you as my principal representative in human matters. At some point it may be necessary for me to take on a human form, as I did before._"

"You mean Nephren-Ka? Did you . . . possess the pharaoh?" Penny asked.

"_Possess. To usurp the body? Yes. I will require a healthy human body, which you may select, as you are to be my consort._"

Penny could hardly take in what she had just heard. She gave Bo a warning look, and also Uncle David, who had stepped forwards, a look of fury on his face.

"Why me?" she asked.

"_Because I have chosen you. You are to be my Queen._"

"Over my dead body, look you," David blurted.

"_As you wish._" Nyarlathotep gestured to one of the scorpion things. It aimed its tail at David. There was a loud spitting noise, almost a bang, and the creature's sting disappeared in a burst of vapour. David's torso inflated, then split in several places. Smoke and steam spurted from the gory fissures, and David collapsed. Penny screamed. The scorpion thing scuttled forwards and enveloped David's head in its tentacles. There was an obscene slurping sound.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter Twenty-seven**

Lily took Vi's hand as they walked up the ramp into the belly of the Kreth saucer. Vi couldn't deny her that small comfort, but she was worried about the girl developing an obsession for her, as she had for Penny. Vi didn't want a relationship - not after the way the last one had ended, which was something she still couldn't bear to think about.

The saucer's interior was a maze of tunnels and chambers with no straight lines anywhere. The curved walls were translucent, with complex apparatus half-seen behind them, moving in disturbing ways. All the surviving humans except Inspector Rashid were led to a large, domed chamber. The HP officers gathered together on one side of the chamber. Vi, Lily, Bo, Penny and Professor Bayoumi sat, leaning against the curved wall, on the other side. There was no furniture of any kind.

"Where's Moustapha?" Penny asked. Bo scowled at the mention of his name.

"I think he may have been sent to gather this 'Cult of Chaos' together," Bayoumi speculated. "Now that their god has appeared, he will have a ready-made army of human collaborators."

"Do you think they're going to kill us?" Lily whispered to Vi. She was sitting as close to Vi as she could without actually touching her.

"I think they would already have done so, if that was their intention," Vi replied. She wished she was as certain of that as she meant Lily to think she was. The poor girl was shivering with fear. Bayoumi seemed to be holding up well, Bo and Penny had each other, and Vi still couldn't quite believe all this was really happening. Bo put his arm around Penny, and she leaned against his shoulder. Lily glanced towards them, then gave Vi an appealing look. Oh, bloody hell, Vi thought. She put her arm around Lily's soft shoulders and pulled her tight against her side. Lily gave a little sigh and buried her face into the side of Vi's neck. Her breath was hot against Vi's skin.

Lily whispered into her ear. "I knew I was going to meet someone in Egypt. I thought at first it was Penny - then I met you."

Vi felt amused, exasperated, and rather uneasy. Could there ever possibly be a less appropriate moment for this? Here they were on an alien space ship, facing what could be, to all intents and purposes, the end of the world . . .

"I'm old enough to be your mother," she whispered back.

"I wasn't going to say anything . . . yet, but these might be the last moments of our lives." The barely controlled terror in Lily's voice hurt Vi's heart. She gave her shoulders a squeeze.

"Don't be so morbid - it's counterproductive."

~~~{{OO}}~~~

Rashid was led into a domed chamber whose walls were lined with cryptic machinery of the sort Bo had described in his account of his first visit to the installation in the desert. Nyarlathotep stood beside one of the Kreth as it operated a control panel. Rashid looked at the aliens all around him and felt more alone than he had ever felt in his life. He gasped with shock as the entire ship disappeared, leaving him and the aliens standing on an invisible floor: apparently, the invisibility field was effective from inside as well as outside. He watched the ground drop away and stream rapidly backwards, but there was no sensation of acceleration; evidently, the ship had some sort of inertia-cancelling field as well. He tried to imagine what would happen next, as Nyarlathotep met with the government, but his brain seemed to be too overloaded to function properly.

~~~{{OO}}~~~

The walls of the chamber in which the rest of the humans were being held didn't disappear. We should be talking, planning, Vi thought, but we're all just lambs-to-the-slaughtering. I should get up and tell everyone to snap out of it, but they all look so shellshocked - I expect I do too. And it's hard to think when I've got this oversexed girl practically throbbing in my arms. She smells like vanilla ice cream.

Lily's breath on her neck was doing things to her. She felt a panicky flutter in her stomach as she realised that 'little Vi' had already made up her mind, judging by the increasingly warm sensation down there. Oh, stop it, she thought, and was unable to stifle a low laugh.

Lily pulled away just far enough to look into Vi's face. "What's funny?"

"Biology." Vi needed to get her mind back on track - they were in a hell of a situation, and all she could think about was the warmth and softness of this girl snuggled against her, and the naked adoration in her eyes. "But this is neither the time nor the place for it. We need to be concentrating on the situation at hand."

Lily pushed her face back into the crook of Vi's neck. "I don't want to think about it. I just wish we were alone together, somewhere private."

What am I going to do about this? Vi thought. It's the last thing I need right now and, anyway, Lily isn't even my type. But what is my type? The woman - she couldn't bear thinking her name - I met at the gym who had . . . No, she wasn't going to think about that.

Vi found, to her astonishment, that she was stroking Lily's cheek; her hand seemed to have acted of its own volition. She stopped doing it, grasped Lily gently by the back of her neck and tilted her face towards her own.

"We'll talk about . . . things . . . later, okay? For the present, we need to be practical."

Lily pressed her soft plumpness against Vi's firm, muscular body. "You promise?"

What do I promise? Vi thought, but didn't say. She was slightly annoyed to find that her hand had started stroking Lily's cheek again.

~~~{{OO}}~~~

_ "How long will it take for your world's leaders to gather?"_

Rashid was startled out of his funk as he realised Nyarlathotep was addressing the question to him.

"My country's government will assemble in the conference hall, but representatives of other countries will have to join us by video. The conference hall has a large screen-"

_ "That will not be satisfactory. The civil and military leaders of all thermonuclear-capable nations will make themselves available, and the Kreth will gather them together."_

Cairo had appeared on the horizon, and was zooming towards the ship.

"Some of them may be unwilling," Rashid said.

_ "Then they will be persuaded," _Nyarlathotep replied. Rashid tried to look into the hood of the creature's black robe, but could see only a squirming darkness. _"Indicate which building is the conference centre," _Nyarlathotep ordered.

Rashid pointed out the Cairo International Convention and Exhibition centre, a cluster of buildings on Nasr road, near to the much more eye-catching Cairo International Stadium. The buildings swooped up to meet the ship, or so it felt to Rashid since there was no sensation of movement in the ship itself. The surrounding grounds were full of various emergency vehicles and army trucks, with more arriving even as the ship settled on the grassy area in front of the centre's largest circular building. Uniformed figures rushed towards the saucer, surrounding it and taking defensive positions behind the scant cover afforded by the scattering of palm trees and bushes.

_ "Come," _Nyarlathotep ordered. _"We will meet with your government, who will provide accommodation and other facilities. There is much to be done."_


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter Twenty-eight**

The assault force consisted of fifty Recon Marines divided into two groups: 'Pitbull' and 'Timberwolf'. Each group, led by a Lieutenant, was subdivided into four squads of six men. Sergeant Hagar - known affectionately as 'Hagar the Horrible' - was in charge of Pitbull Two. They sat in silence as the 'Phrog' ( CH46 Sea Knight transport helicopter ) thundered towards the new landmass that had arisen from the depths of the South Atlantic. The roar of the Phrog's twin engines made conversation impossible, so Hagar was left to his own thoughts.

The briefing had been the weirdest of his career. The Colonel had outlined the threats they were likely to be facing: some kind of fish-men armed with constricting nets and acid squirt-guns. The assault force would be wearing bulky MOPP suits to protect them from the fish-men's chemical weapons, over Kevlar body armour which should withstand the constrictor nets. The marines had laughed nervously and the Colonel had barked that this was no joke, then had gone on to describe the attack on the British frigate HMS Hastings. They had been shown an infrared satellite image of the island, designated with the peculiar name 'R'lyeh', which had a central city built around a tall peak adjacent to a deep valley. This was to be the airborne assault's objective.

The two Phrogs carrying the assault force were escorted by two AH-1W SuperCobra helicopter gunships. The storm which had shrouded the island since it had first arisen was slowly abating; the marines were taking advantage of the cover afforded by the remaining clouds and rain. Preliminary reconnaissance by UAV drones had been limited by the weather conditions; all they knew was that they were heading for a flat area beside the central peak which seemed to be clear of the abyssal ooze which covered the rest of the landmass.

As the Phrogs descended towards their LZ, their tail ramps lowered and Hagar got his first view of the mysterious island. It was grey with misty rain, and the landing zone was paved with oddly shaped slabs of dark stone. There was something eye-boggling about the paving. The slabs fitted together in a pattern which didn't make sense: pentagons, hexagons and heptagons somehow arranged as if they were simple squares. It not only made Hagar dizzy to look at, it was also deeply disturbing - yet another bit of wrongness in a mission that was already extremely bizarre.

The Lieutenant was standing by the door gunner, waving the squads down the ramp and shouting something about dispersal over the noise of the Phrog's rotors. Hagar led his squad down the ramp. They ran out onto the pavement and flung themselves down alongside Pitbull One, peering into the misty distance for targets. There was nothing: no movement, just some huge buildings at the edge of the paved area, with the flanks of the island's central peak rising behind them. The buildings were wrong as well, built from huge blocks of stone in shapes that made even less sense to the eye than the pattern of the paving slabs. Despite the lack of any attacking fish-men, Hagar had an overwhelming feeling of impending doom.

The two helicopter gunships throbbed overhead as the rest of the assault force dispersed around the Phrogs which were sitting on the pavement with their engines still running, their rotors turning slowly. The Lieutenant's voice came over Hagar's headset. "Pitbull One and Two, advance to LZ perimeter. Three, take left flank; Four, right flank. Go go go!"

Hagar held his M16A2 assault rifle, fitted with an M203 grenade launcher, in one hand as he jogged towards the strange buildings at the edge of the paved area. He stopped and turned back round as he heard gunfire behind him. The SuperCobras had opened up with their 20mm cannon. The triple-barrelled Gatling guns laid down an awesome barrage of fire, but Hagar couldn't see what they were shooting at. What he saw next didn't even make sense: an enormous paw, apparently made of green mist, swept down and grasped on of the gunships in midair, crushing it effortlessly despite its seemingly insubstantial nature. The paw then swatted the other gunship to the ground, where it exploded, killing several of the Recon Marines in the immediate vicinity. Nightmarish figures - the fish-men described by the Colonel - swarmed onto the LZ from all sides. Hagar felt oddly calm as he shot them down, picking off one after another as they scuttled towards his squad. They just kept coming, a countless horde. Their nets, launched from short golden tubes, closed around MOPP-suited marines and crushed them into ridiculously small blood-spurting balls. Thick green liquid hosed over the troops, easily burning through their protective suits and causing their flesh to erupt violently in green foam and gobbets of smoking meat. The Lieutenant was screaming orders over Hagar's headset, but all he could focus on were the terrifying, goggle-eyed, fanged faces of the attackers as they closed with what was left of the marines' defensive line. A net flew towards him and he rolled hectically away from it, still firing his rifle on full auto. Green slime splashed the marine on his right - Lance Corporal Hunter - and Hagar saw the hood of his MOPP suit burst open in a spray of frothing blood and brains. Some of the green and red gore splashed over his chest and immediately burnt through the fabric and the Kevlar beneath. The pain was intense as the stuff ate into his chest. He coughed blood, and died as the acid reached his heart.

~~~{{OO}}~~~

Rear Admiral Marshall stood on the bridge of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ticonderoga, observing the distant shore of the new landmass through powerful binoculars. The carrier was accompanied by several other ships: frigates, cruisers and amphibious assault ships, as well as a number of support vessels. Two submarines had also joined the task force. The vessels were stationed in a line parallel to the coast of the island, a couple of miles offshore. The day was clear and bright, the ocean relatively calm, its surface rolling with a long, slow swell.

"Surveillance drone is approaching central peak, sir," Lieutenant Daley reported. "There's . . . what the fuck is that? Sorry, sir," he added hastily. "There seems to be some sort of . . . thing, standing on top of the peak. It's enormous."

Marshall lowered his binoculars. "Describe it, Lieutenant."

"It's . . . it has . . . it's green, sir. With wings. And tentacles on its face."

_ "What?" _Marshall strode over to where Daley was sitting at a monitor and looked over his shoulder. What he saw just didn't make sense. "That can't be real. Take the drone in closer."

At higher resolution, they could see that the huge nightmare figure shifted and swirled, as if made of vapour. "It's just some kind of projected image," Marshall concluded.

As the drone circled, the monster beat its wings and rose slowly from its roost on the castle-like structure which crowned the central mountain of the island. It moved out of the drone's field of view, then the monitor screen went blank.

"Well, whatever that thing may be made of, it's clearly hostile," Marshall said. "Before we send in any more drones or manned aircraft, we'll try a good old-fashioned naval barrage. Signal the Trenton to fire a Tomahawk, conventional warhead, targeting the structure on the peak."

~~~{{OO}}~~~

After the loss of HMS Hastings, the UN had approved the United States government's plan to land an armed force on the island. The storm clouds which had initially shielded the new landmass from satellite surveillance had eventually cleared, allowing the island's central city to be observed. The structures which surrounded the high, narrow mountain which seemed to be the island's sole geographical feature of note were impossible to classify. They seemed to be constructed from huge blocks of stone, on an inhuman scale, but the satellite images were strangely distorted so that shapes and features could not be made out with any certainty.

The plain surrounding the city appeared to be covered in a deep layer of abyssal sediment, which would make an overland assault particularly difficult using any vehicles other than hovercraft, so a landing by airborne troops was decided on as the best option. In a war situation, this would be preceded by air strikes, but since the nature and intentions of the island's inhabitants - if any - were as yet unknown, a small reconnaissance force was sent in by helicopter initially. The Recon Marines barely had time to report contact with hostile forces before all communication was cut off, and they were presumed lost. Rear Admiral Marshall had subsequently been cleared to put the task force on a war footing.

~~~{{OO}}~~~

Captain Robertson, commander of the ballistic missile submarine USS Brunswick, peered at the radar screen. "Whatever it is, it's big, and it's closing fast - we have to assume it's hostile. Prepare to fire torpedoes."

"Captain! There's another one, rising vertically, directly beneath us."

"Damn. Hard to starboard, maximum power." Robertson turned to the fire control officer. "Fire torpedoes when ready, two on each target."

"They're nearly on us, sir," the radar operator reported.

"Have we got visual?" Robertson asked.

"Coming into view . . . looks like a, a giant squid, sir - way bigger than anything we've ever -"

The deck lurched violently. Robertson was thrown against a bulkhead as alarms sounded. The captain felt a stabbing pain in both ears as the air pressure rose suddenly. The alarms and the shouts of the crew became distant as the pain of the pressure change rapidly escalated. There was an ear-splitting screech of tearing metal and seawater thundered into the command deck. Everything went into slow motion as Robertson watched the wall of water barrelling towards him like a runaway train. He had just enough time to notice that the foaming water was squirming, full of eyes and teeth, before it hit him and obliterated him in an instant.

~~~{{OO}}~~~

Rear Admiral Marshall never got to see what effect the Tomahawk might have had - if it even reached its target. Everything happened so fast: enormous tentacles erupted from the ocean's surface and swept aircraft from the flight deck; goggle-eyed nightmare creatures swarmed aboard and overran the ship before any effective resistance could be organised. His staff, armed with M4A1 carbines, held the creatures off the bridge long enough for him to get a report from below decks that the hull had been breached, and that 'a mass of eyes and teeth' was bursting inboard, when he turned at the sound of desperate screams to see his men being hosed down with some sort of violently corrosive liquid. Their flesh erupted in green foam as the spray from the fish-men's weapons hit them. Something thumped into Marshall's back and he was enveloped in a net which immediately tightened. The pain was savage, but mercifully brief.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter Twenty-nine**

Inspector Rashid and Professor Bayoumi, flanked by Nargai and Kreth, followed Nyarlathotep into the conference hall. 'Moustapha' had been sent to gather all the members of his cult, while Miss Templegate and the others had been taken elsewhere; Rashid knew that the entity which called itself Nyarlathotep had plans for Miss Templegate, and possibly Mister Cale, but hoped that Miss Maynard and the other girl - Lily? Yes, Lily - would be alright. Despite the PI's antipathy towards him, Rashid rather admired her.

As they arrived on the stage at the front of the auditorium, Rashid surveyed the small crowd gathered in the first few semicircular rows of seats. He recognised several members of the Egyptian government, and also envoys from various embassies. The large screen behind the stage was showing a patchwork of faces, presumably representatives of countries and organisations attending via video. The Egyptian president approached and introduced himself. Nyarlathotep ignored him.

_ "Are these the leaders of all thermonuclear-capable nations?" _It took Rashid a moment to realise that Nyarlathotep was addressing the question to him.

"They are representatives of those leaders - ambassadors," he replied.

_ "This is unacceptable." _Nyarlathotep raised his multitude-whispering voice and addressed the conference in general. _"I have said that I require the attendance, in person, of all your civil and military leaders, not mere representatives. For instance, in the case of the United States of America, this would mean your president, and the joint chiefs of staff. These individuals will make themselves available to the Kreth, who will transport them here. This will be done within one hour, or there will be repercussions. It is in the interest of all humans that your cooperation is complete and immediate. R'lyeh has risen, and Cthulhu intends to entirely eradicate all life on this planet. Only I can prevent this. Professor Bayoumi: you will inform these humans of the relevant information." _He beckoned the professor forwards with a black claw.

Bayoumi cleared his throat and addressed the delegates in a nervous voice. "I am the head of the history department at Cairo University," he began. "At various times, over the years, I have been consulted by the History Police-" he gestured towards Rashid "- regarding matters which involve a certain class of entities from other dimensions, and the various cults which worship them as gods. Nyarlathotep has mentioned Cthulhu, and his city, R'lyeh, which has now arisen from the depths of the South Atlantic ocean. It has risen before, but Cthulhu has hitherto been prevented from manifesting himself by a variety of occult means. However, on this occasion, he has succeeded in manifesting in our set of dimensions, probably because the stars are in the necessary configuration to permit this. We do know - and have known for a long time - what his intentions are. Cthulhu's master, Azathoth, has some use for living planets such as ours; that is to say, planets with a molten core and a strong magnetic field. We don't know what this purpose might be, but we do know that Cthulhu regards organic life as something to be 'cleaned off' before he presents the planet to his master. He certainly possesses the means to do so. It is the stated intention of Nyarlathotep to enslave humanity, for whatever purpose-" he glanced nervously towards the tall, black-robed figure "- but one cannot logically dispute that slavery would be preferable to extinction. I urge all leaders of the countries in question to obey Nyarlathotep's instructions, and assure you all that he is fully capable of compelling obedience if necessary."

One of the delegates, seated in the middle of the front row, got to his feet. "The United States will never negotiate with terrorists," he said defiantly.

_ "Very well, I will destroy one of your major cities," _Nyarlathotep replied.

The American ambassador thought fast. "As long as it's not Detroit," he stage-whispered to his aide.

Nyarlathotep exchanged clicks with one of the Kreth. _"A major manufacturing centre of automobiles. Yes, that will serve." _He clicked at the Kreth again. _"This demonstration will-"_ Shots rang out. Puffs of dust came from the front of Nyarlathotep's robe as the bullets struck. At the same time, doors slammed open and black-clad special forces rushed into the conference hall from several directions. Beams of green light lanced from the Kreth's weapons, and a long tentacle lashed out from within the hood of Nyarlathotep's robe. It coiled around one of the soldiers, who fired his assault rifle on full auto as he was lifted off his feet and carried towards the tall, dark figure on the stage. The rounds did no more than raise puffs of dust from Nyarlathotep's robe as he held the soldier in front of him. His feet kicking helplessly, the soldier attempted to reload as Nyarlathotep drew him closer to the squirming shadows within his dark hood. The soldier gave a soul-wrenching scream and went limp. All gunfire had ceased, and exploded bodies littered the auditorium.

Nyarlathotep dropped the body, and his tentacle retracted into his hood. _"These were members of a military group known as Mossad. The ambassador for Israel will make himself known to me."_

One of the delegates stood. "I was unaware-" he began in a trembling voice. Nyarlathotep gestured to one of the Nargai, which aimed its tail at the Israeli ambassador and fired. The man's body inflated and burst, showering nearby delegates in blood and other bodily fluids. In the shocked silence that followed, another delegate got to his feet and stood shaking as he addressed Nyarlathotep.

"You may kill us, and bomb our cities, but I can assure you that Russia will never submit. We will fight to the last man! Our scientists will find some way to defeat you!" He glared defiantly at Nyarlathotep. "You seek to terrify us into believing that you are invulnerable, that you possess godlike power, yet you need these other creatures to do your killing for you." He gestured towards the Kreth and the Nargai surrounding the stage.

_ "I need no others to do my killing - I am not a human politician."_ The evilly barbed tentacle shot out of his hood again and plunged directly into the middle of the Russian ambassador's face. His head erupted in a mass of purple fungus, then his clothes ripped apart as more fungus burst out of him and he collapsed in a stinking, shapeless mass.

~~~{{OO}}~~~

Lily surveyed the suite which she and Vi had been brought to by the Kreth guard, who was now standing, weapon ready, by the door. A large double bed had been placed in the middle of the room, the rest of the furniture pushed back against the walls. Two other closed doors led from the room, presumably a bedroom and bathroom; obviously, they were meant to remain in this one room under the watchful gaze of the alien. "I need to use the toilet," she whispered to Vi.

"We need to use the sanitary facilities," Vi told the guard. The Kreth raised its weapon and came forwards. It ushered them through one of the doors, entering with them and keeping its weapon aimed at them as they used the toilet. Lily thought she wouldn't be able to go with the alien watching, but found that her body had other ideas. She cringed with embarrassment at the noises she was making, and avoided looking at Vi as she wiped herself. As Vi took her place on the toilet, she turned on the taps in the sink and washed her hands, hoping that the sound of rushing water would help to preserve Vi's modesty to at least some extent.

Back in the other room, Vi gestured towards the bed. "I know it's going to be difficult to do so with that thing in here with us, but I think we should grab some sleep while we have the chance. I'm exhausted, and you look ready to drop as well."

"I couldn't possibly sleep," Lily told her, "but I suppose I can at least lie down and rest my body."

They lay down, fully clothed, and pulled the light duvet over themselves. Lily lay down with her back to Vi, snuggled into her and pulled Vi's arm around her. Vi curled around her and squeezed her.

"Try to relax," Vi whispered.

Lily realised she was holding herself tensed, and willed her muscles to unclench. She put everything else from her mind and concentrated on the reassuring feeling of being cuddled by Vi. It made her feel safe, being curled up within Vi's protecting arms, as long as she didn't let herself think about their situation.

"Stop wiggling your bum, you shameless hussy," Vi whispered.

~~~{{OO}}~~~

Lily wasn't sure whether she'd actually fallen asleep, and if so, for how long. Noises came from outside the room, and their guard was opening the door. Vi silently slid off the bed and stood as the guard opened the door fully. Bo was outside, being grabbed by another Kreth guard. As the creature lifted him off the ground, Bo managed to throw a paper dart into the room. Vi quickly snatched it, unfolded it, and read it even as their own guard rushed over to take it away from her: "Pacify when you hear the Charlie 4"

"I never thought I'd say this," she muttered as the guard tore the note from her hand with one of its smaller arms, "but, Bo, you're a fucking genius."

~~~{{OO}}~~~

Bo phrased the note in terms he hoped wouldn't be immediately understandable to the Kreth, and folded it into a dart. He had a block of C4 plastic explosive which he had liberated from the back of one of the History police vehicles. He had noticed that the Kreth had ignored the C4 packs when they had been gathering up all other weapons - maybe they didn't know about chemical explosives, since they used particle beam weapons themselves. In any case, the C4 packs had been overlooked and Bo had taken advantage. He hadn't been able to discuss his plan with Penny, as the guards would not allow them to communicate in any covert way. There were two Kreth in the suite with them, standing either side of the main doorway. He had seen Vi and Lily being ushered into the adjoining suite; the first part of his plan was to get a message to them. He approached the guards.

"Yo, alien dudes. You know us humans can't tolerate extremes of temperature, right?" The Kreth didn't react. "Well, this air conditioning unit ain't working properly, and it's stifling us." Which was even true: the room was unbearably hot and stuffy, and the aircon was pretty much clapped out. He pointed at the grey, slatted box above the double doors. "I can fix it easy enough, if that's okay with you guys?"

One of the guards replied in its flat, artificial voice. "You will work slowly, and allow what you are doing to be observed."

"Okay, cool," Bo said with a friendly grin. He pulled over a chair and stood on it while he wrenched the cover off the aircon unit. "Ah, I thought so. All I need to do is immobilise it with something while I cut the power . . ." He moulded the block of C4 over the top of the machinery and placed the cover back over it, then stepped down off the chair. "Access to the power will be outside," he said, gesturing towards the doors. "If you wouldn't mind . . ."

The Kreth aimed its weapon at him as it opened the doors. The other remained inside as Bo stepped out into the corridor. Bo dashed to the door of the adjoining suite and banged on it. His guard jumped after him and grabbed him with its other arms as the door was opened by another Kreth. Bo saw Vi standing inside the room and threw the paper dart at her as the guard lifted him off his feet. The door slammed shut and the Kreth scuttled back into the other room, holding Bo painfully tight.

"Hey, relax, dude! It was only a note for my friends."

The Kreth threw him towards the bed which Penny was standing behind. "You will not move." It aimed its weapon at Bo's face.

"Look, I'll sit on the bed, okay? I'm doin nuthin." He watched as the Kreth rejoined its colleague by the doorway. "Fire in the hole," he said to Penny in a casual tone, then rolled over the bed, dragged Penny down with him and turned the key in the detonator.


End file.
